IOC Sustainability Report  
Sharing progress on our 2020 objectives
OCTOBER 2018

Foreword by the President of the IOC
As an organisation dedicated to making the world a better 
place through sport, the IOC believes that sport has an 
essential role to play in modern society. The universality 
and global appeal of sport means that the IOC and 
the Olympic Movement have a special responsibility to 
promote a sustainable future for our world. This is why 
sustainability, together with credibility and youth, is one 
of the three pillars of Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic 
roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. 
The relevance of sport in society was acknowledged 
in 2015 by the United Nations (UN), when sport was 
highlighted as an “important enabler” to achieve the 
ambitious agenda of the UN Sustainable Development 
Goals. This recognition has strengthened our 
determination to make sustainability an integral part  
of all IOC activities. 
Since the adoption of Olympic Agenda 2020, sustainability 
has been made a priority for all activities of the IOC and 
the entire Olympic Movement. Chaired by HSH Prince 
Albert II, the Sustainability and Legacy Commission led 
the development of the IOC Sustainability Strategy, which 
lays out the principles for the working practices of the 
IOC, the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement  
with regards to sustainability. 
This first IOC Sustainability Report serves as a 
benchmark to measure our progress on sustainability 
and to chart the challenges that are still ahead. It 
outlines the steps we have taken to make sustainability 
an underpinning principle of all our activities. 
There is much that has been achieved already. 
For example, sustainability is now fully embedded 
throughout the entire lifecycle of the Olympic Games, 
from the candidature to the planning and the delivery  
of the Games, and through to their legacy. Thanks to the 
reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, we have implemented 
a new philosophy for the organisation of Olympic 
Games, with sustainability and feasibility at its heart. 
With this new approach, our goal is to make the Olympic 
Games a catalyst for sustainable development of cities. 
The universality and global appeal of sport means 
that the IOC and the Olympic Movement have  
a special responsibility to promote a sustainable 
future for our world.”
“
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IOC Sustainability Report
Forewords

This report also shows how the IOC, together with 
National Olympic Committees, International Federations, 
as well as athletes, is leading change through a number of 
initiatives to integrate sustainability principles across the 
Olympic Movement. The IOC as an organisation must also 
demonstrate its own commitment to sustainability. For this 
reason, sustainability principles are fully integrated into all 
design and construction aspects of Olympic House – the 
IOC’s new headquarters building in Lausanne – which 
will open its doors in 2019. In addition, sustainability is 
being embedded throughout our day-to-day business 
operations, both in Lausanne and Madrid.
Thomas Bach 
IOC President
As the role and relevance of sport in society continues to 
grow, the IOC is determined to live up to its responsibility 
to build a sustainable future for everyone. In a world that 
is more interdependent than ever before, we know that we 
can only make progress in cooperation and partnership 
with others. This is why I call on all stakeholders to 
continue our work together to make the world a better 
place through sport. 
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IOC Sustainability Report
Forewords

Eighteen months after publishing the IOC Sustainability 
Strategy, we are proud to present the first IOC 
Sustainability Report, which highlights the progress 
across the IOC’s three spheres of responsibility – the 
IOC as an organisation, the IOC as owner of the Olympic 
Games and the IOC as leader of the Olympic Movement.
To ensure the respect of best practice, we decided to 
compile the report according to the Global Reporting 
Initiative (GRI) Standards – Core Option, and it has  
been independently assured by ERM Certification  
and Verification Services.
Although we still have more than two years to achieve  
the 18 objectives defined for 2020, you will see that  
much progress has already been made. Let me highlight 
some of the key achievements we have accomplished  
to date through consultation, collaboration and  
strategic partnerships.
Since 2015, we have engaged, as early as the Dialogue 
Stage, on sustainability and legacy with cities interested in 
hosting the Olympic Games. Round-table discussions were 
organised with the Candidate Cities for the Olympic Games 
2024 on sustainability topics such as biodiversity and  
climate with expert organisations and commercial partners. 
We visited the Interested Cities for the Olympic Winter 
Games 2026 with sustainability experts to identify and 
discuss challenges and opportunities. Our governance  
has been strengthened to make sure sustainability and 
legacy are addressed throughout the entire lifecycle of  
the Olympic Games. 
Beyond the Olympic Games, an ongoing dialogue has been 
established with National Olympic Committees and International 
Federations to share experiences and build capacity through 
thematic workshops, publications and the collection of best 
practices. Workshops on topics such as biodiversity, water 
quality, sourcing and resource management, and carbon 
management have been attended by the majority of the 
International Federations.  
Our governance has been strengthened to  
make sure sustainability and legacy are  
addressed throughout the entire lifecycle  
of the Olympic Games.” 
“
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IOC Sustainability Report
Forewords
Foreword by the Chair of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission

In July 2018, the IOC published its “Introduction to Sustainability” 
guide, the first in a series of guides in the “Sustainability 
Essentials” suite. Three months earlier, the International Union  
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) issued a “Sport and 
Biodiversity” guide as part of their collaboration with the IOC. 
Through the development of collaborative partnerships, 
we are creating a solid network of advocacy across the 
five focus areas of our Sustainability Strategy. In particular, 
we are partnering with IUCN on biodiversity; with UN 
Environment on sourcing and resource management,  
and mobility; and with UN Climate Change (UNFCCC),  
C40 Cities and The Dow Chemical Company on climate.
Last but not least, the IOC – in Lausanne and Madrid –  
has included sustainability within its own operations, from 
the construction of its new headquarters to its procurement 
and travel policies.
This work could only be achieved thanks to intense 
collaboration: within the IOC itself, and between the IOC, 
Olympic Movement constituents and expert organisations, 
including the IOC’s commercial partners. 
This collaboration is orchestrated under the guidance 
of the Sustainability and Legacy Commission, whose 
members I would like to thank for their dedication. 
It is supported with efficiency by the IOC Corporate 
Development, Brand and Sustainability Department,  
led by Mrs Marie Sallois. Both the Commission and  
the Department were created as a direct outcome of 
Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap.
We are pleased to see that momentum is building  
and change is occurring. Our role is to continue to  
nurture and support the Olympic Movement’s  
sustainability journey.
HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco 
Chair, IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission
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IOC Sustainability Report
Forewords

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Executive summary
We are pleased to present the first Sustainability Report by the International 
Olympic Committee (IOC). The report describes the progress we have made  
on the implementation of our Sustainability Strategy, which was issued in 
January 2017. 
Although sustainability has been an important topic for the IOC for many years, 
the impetus for developing a specific Sustainability Strategy, which was started 
in 2015, arose directly from Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap, 
and in particular from Recommendations 4 and 5: 
Recommendation 4:  
Include sustainability in all aspects of the Olympic Games
Recommendation 5:  
Include sustainability within the Olympic Movement’s  
daily operations
Our Sustainability Strategy was also developed in the context of a landmark 
global initiative: the United Nations (UN)’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development (and specifically the Sustainable Development Goals,  
widely known as the SDGs), which came into force on 1 January 2016. 
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IOC Sustainability Report
Executive summary

Our Strategy covers the IOC’s three spheres of responsibility:
•	the IOC as an organisation; 
•	the IOC as owner of the Olympic Games; and 
•	the IOC as leader of the Olympic Movement.
It encompasses five focus areas:
•	infrastructure and natural sites; 
•	sourcing and resource management; 
•	mobility; 
•	workforce; and 
•	climate.
This Sustainability Report looks in detail at how we are working towards  
our 18 sustainability objectives for 2020, in view of our strategic intents  
for 2030. We also provide detailed information on how sustainability is  
being integrated into our governance and internal management systems.
In order to align with best practice in sustainability reporting, we have elected  
to follow the requirements of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards – 
Core Option. Additionally, this report has been independently assured by  
ERM Certification and Verification Services (ERM CVS; see Appendix 5,  
pages 117-118). Quantitative data are presented for the calendar year 2017  
and qualitative information extends through to mid-2018 in order to present  
the most up-to-date picture possible.
One of the most important aspects of sustainability reporting is to assess 
the various challenges and lessons learned over the reporting period.  
Not only does this help us to identify improvements for our next reporting 
cycle, but it is also intended to help other sports organisations accelerate their 
sustainability initiatives. 
 
Progress at a glance
The table on pages 9-12 highlights the key achievements and progress towards 
our 18 sustainability objectives for 2020. Work began on these objectives in 
January 2017, immediately after the approval of the IOC Sustainability Strategy. 
At the time of this report’s publication in October 2018, we are therefore 
approximately 40 per cent through our implementation period.
In this respect, we would expect most of our targets only to be partially 
complete. As can be seen below, however, we have actually made significant 
progress across 11 of our 18 objectives, including one that has been fully 
completed. We have made some progress on the remaining seven, with 
significant work still being required, and we do not envisage any target falling 
short or needing to be substantially revised by 2020.
18 Sustainability objectives for 2020
Completed
1
Substantial progress 
and on track
10
Some progress  
but significant  
work required
7
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IOC Sustainability Report
Executive summary

Madrid, Spain: Energy saving works conducted, ISO 50001 certification for Energy Management Systems obtained,  
LEED Operation & Maintenance certification achieved (Gold level).
Lausanne, Switzerland: An energy efficiency action plan for The Olympic Museum is being developed.
Increase energy efficiency of our buildings
On track to achieve the three targeted certifications: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Minergie-P and the Swiss Sustainable 
Construction Standard (SNBS).
Design and construction of Olympic House (the new IOC 
headquarters building) to be certified according to nationally  
and internationally recognised sustainability standards
1
2
Progress – January 2017 to mid-2018
2020 objective
We have provided a simple colour-coded rating to give a visual sense of our progress: 
Substantial progress and on track 	 	
Some progress but significant work required
3
4
Conventional suppliers: Sustainability principles were formally integrated in new IOC procurement processes and key documents in the first half of 2018. We have 
started to engage with key suppliers to introduce our new sustainability requirements.
TOP Partners and official licensees: We have met with many of our TOP Partners to understand how sustainability is integrated in their operations and to identify 
potential areas of collaboration. The integration of sustainability principles into sourcing started in 2017 but is progressing more slowly than initially planned.
Initial actions implemented to improve monitoring of waste streams and to reduce waste or increase its reuse/recycling, targeting our five main  
waste streams: plastic, food, electronic waste, waste from events/exhibitions and paper/publications.
Beyond the improvement of reuse and recycling practices, achieving an overall reduction of waste produced across our different activities is proving 
challenging as it involves significant changes in daily practices and internal standards. The move to the new IOC headquarters building in 2019 is 
expected to help foster waste reduction actions.
Integrate sustainability in the sourcing of goods and services, 
including those from TOP Partners and official licensees
Achieve a measurable reduction in waste quantities
THE IOC AS AN ORGANISATION
5
Policy changes and awareness-raising actions were implemented in 2017-2018 for business travel, vehicle fleet, staff commuting and freight. 
Further incentives were introduced to encourage more sustainable commuting practices; as a result, today more than half of IOC staff use sustainable 
transportation modes for their daily commutes.
For business travel and freight, the environmental impact is dependent on the locations of Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games and IOC corporate 
events. Achieving a significant reduction of this impact over a full Olympiad is therefore challenging. During 2017-2018, video, audio and web 
conferencing facilities were provided to IOC employees to facilitate remote communications.
Reduce the IOC’s travel impact (business travel for IOC staff, 
Members and guests; vehicle fleet; staff commuting; freight)
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IOC Sustainability Report
Executive summary

7
8
The IOC provides numerous incentives to its staff to encourage healthy and active lifestyles, such as the offer of sports activities, subsidies for 
sport-related expenses, healthy food options, nutritional advice, and subsidies for active and sustainable commuting practices. In 2017-2018,  
the main activities have focused on the integration of employee well-being and active lifestyle concepts in the design of Olympic House.
We have estimated our carbon footprint annually since 2015, including direct and indirect emission sources associated with the various IOC entities. Our 
carbon footprint is largely dominated by travel activities, which represent between 60 and 80 per cent of our footprint depending on whether or not it is an 
Olympic Games year.
The actions listed in 1-5 above have contributed to reducing several sources of the IOC’s carbon emissions. However, the main emission source (flights) is 
very dependent on the locations of Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games and IOC corporate events.
A first project was implemented as part of the IOC-Dow global carbon mitigation programme, delivering sufficient carbon savings to cover the IOC’s 
estimated carbon emissions for 2017-2020.
As part of IOC@work2020, further develop a wellness 
programme to promote healthy and active lifestyles at the IOC
Achieve carbon neutrality by reducing direct and indirect 
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and by compensating 
emissions as a last resort
6
The overall composition of our staff reflects diversity in terms of gender balance (55 per cent of staff are female) and nationalities (54 different 
nationalities in Lausanne, 60 in Madrid. Due to the location of IOC offices, there is a higher representation of European nationalities). 
The proportion of women in IOC Commissions has continued to increase in 2017-2018 – 38 per cent of positions held by women in 2017 and  
43 per cent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2017, the proportion of women on the IOC Board of Directors increased from 19 per cent to 25 per cent,  
while the proportion of women in senior management roles in Lausanne increased from 36 per cent to 38 per cent.
Further increase staff diversity, in particular with regard to 
gender and geographical diversity
Progress – January 2017 to mid-2018
2020 objective
9
Processes and procedures are being developed to ensure that our sustainability approach to event management across all our corporate events is as 
consistent as possible. This is being done in the form of an Event Sustainability Management System created in accordance with the international standard 
ISO 20121. The Olympism in Action Forum in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October 2018 is a pilot event for the implementation of this new approach. 
Include sustainability in corporate events
THE IOC AS OWNER OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Sustainability has been integrated into key IOC documentation shared with Interested Cities through the Candidature Process for the  
Olympic Winter Games 2026, including Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm, a set of 118 reforms that reimagines how the Olympic Games are 
delivered. This was supported by dedicated sustainability and legacy visits conducted with Interested Cities and expertise provided by our partners.
The IOC Candidature Questionnaire for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 has been updated to fully reflect the IOC Sustainability Strategy.
10
Ensure sustainability is addressed as a strategic topic with cities 
as early as the Invitation Phase/Dialogue Stage and throughout 
all phases of the Candidature Process
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IOC Sustainability Report
Executive summary

Progress – January 2017 to mid-2018
2020 objective
11
12
13
14
Objective  
completed
The IOC’s Host City Contract – Operational Requirements were updated in June 2018 to fully reflect the IOC Sustainability Strategy. 
This objective is now complete as we do not envisage updating the Host City Contract again before the end of 2020.
Reinforce sustainability commitments in the Host City Contract so 
that bidding for and hosting an Olympic Games can act as a  
catalyst for sustainable development within the host city and region
This is a continual process, and support and monitoring levels are advancing well to meet this objective. 
Technical guidelines on carbon footprinting and sustainable sourcing are nearing completion.
However, we need to intensify efforts through increased sustainability education and support so that both IOC  
and OCOG staff understand the increasingly critical importance of this theme.
Strengthen support and monitoring of the implementation by 
Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) of 
sustainability-related bid commitments, Host City Contract 
requirements and IOC recommendations, including through  
the provision of common methodologies and independent 
third-party assessments where appropriate
A number of meetings between the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee (TOCOG) and Olympic Games stakeholders have been facilitated. 
Partnerships with international organisations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UN Climate Change and the  
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group have been developed to support this objective.
IOC TOP Partner Dow, became our official Carbon Partner in 2017 to support our approach to climate change mitigation, including the provision  
of innovative solutions for the Olympic Games.
Facilitate exchanges between Olympic Games stakeholders  
(e.g. OCOGs, national partners, host city authorities, TOP 
Partners) and build strategic partnerships with relevant expert 
organisations to develop innovative sustainable solutions for 
planning and staging of the Olympic Games
Workshops on three key topics were provided to the Olympic Movement in 2017 (water quality, sourcing and resource management, carbon). 
Nineteen case studies on sustainability projects conducted by International Federations (IFs) were researched, developed and shared in 2017,  
adding to the 20 case studies completed in 2016. 
We initiated development of “Sustainability Essentials”, a series of simple, practical guides on sustainability topics for the Olympic Movement. 
Event water quality guidelines were established and agreed between the IOC and five relevant IFs. 
Provide mechanisms to ensure exchange of information and 
best practices between Olympic Movement stakeholders
THE IOC AS LEADER OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT
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IOC Sustainability Report
Executive summary

Progress – January 2017 to mid-2018
2020 objective
15
16
17
18
We have continued efforts to build upon existing partnerships and create new ones in order to provide a stronger base of expertise with which to support 
and guide the Olympic Movement.
Key examples include the launch of the Clean Seas programme with UN Environment, our partnership with UN Climate Change and C40 on climate 
change issues, and our ongoing work with IUCN on biodiversity matters. 
Facilitate access to relevant expert organisations to develop 
guidelines and innovative solutions
A strategic Sustainability Implementation Plan was created through stakeholder consultation for the National Olympic Committees (NOCs),  
which resulted in technical meetings and working groups being established. 
Carrying out the Plan will be challenging due to the wide geographical scope – it encompasses 206 countries. 
The creation of the European NOC Sustainability Working Group in 2017 provided insight into the range of initiatives required for successful 
implementation. Similar working groups are to be established in other regions. 
Leverage Olympic Solidarity to assist NOCs in implementing 
sustainability initiatives
This programme is currently still in the research and development phase and has not yet been activated.
Set up an ambassador programme including athletes in order to 
raise awareness on sustainability in sport
Collective reporting has not advanced as initially planned due to the lack of a dedicated Communications person to provide guidance, develop networks and 
identify communication opportunities. This will be addressed with the arrival of the Sustainability and Legacy Communications Manager in October 2018.
Profile the role of the Olympic Movement in sustainability 
through aggregation of information and collective reporting
Sustainability is a continually evolving and changing process. Our sustainability work is only possible through the active collaboration and participation of numerous stakeholders.  
We intend to continue in this spirit of open dialogue and cooperation, and therefore we welcome feedback, comments and suggestions for further improvements as we go forward.  
To do so, please contact us either in English or French at sustainability@olympic.org
Feedback and continuous dialogue
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IOC Sustainability Report
Executive summary

Contents
4. The IOC as owner of the Olympic Games	
60
Scope	
61
Rationale	
62
Sustainability and Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm	
62
Timelines	
64
Progress against objectives	
65
Practical sustainability measures for the Olympic Games 
by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS)	
74
Challenges and lessons learned	
76
5. The IOC as leader of the Olympic Movement	
78
Scope	
79
Rationale	
80
Progress against objectives	
80
Challenges and lessons learned	
97
Appendices	
98
Appendix 1: List of stakeholder groups and partnership arrangements	
99
Appendix 2: Material issues raised by stakeholders	
103
Appendix 3: Additional data	
106
Appendix 4: GRI index	
113
Appendix 5: Assurance statement by ERM CVS	
117
1. Setting the scene	
14
Sustainability as a pillar of Olympic Agenda 2020	
15
IOC Sustainability Strategy	
16
Report scope and objectives	
18
Assessing materiality	
18
Exclusions	
21
Reporting period	
21
Reporting frequency	
21
2. IOC sustainability management approach	
22
Corporate structure and governance	
23
Sustainability governance	
30
Management approach for the five focus areas of the Sustainability Strategy	 32
Management approach for other material topics	
33
Stakeholder engagement and partnerships	
39
Challenges and lessons learned	
39
3. The IOC as an organisation	
41
Scope	
42
Rationale	
42
Progress against objectives	
42
Challenges and lessons learned	
59
IOC Sustainability Report
Contents
13

SETTING THE SCENE
CHAPTER 1

Setting the scene
This Sustainability Report by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 
represents an important milestone in our ambition to be a role model  
in sustainability.
While this is our first formal report, sustainability is not a new topic for us – it 
has, in fact, been an increasingly important theme for many years. As with many 
organisations, we can trace the initial steps back to a focus on environmental 
issues. In our case, this stems from the mid-1990s when, in partnership with 
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), we hosted the first World 
Conference on Sport and the Environment in Lausanne, Switzerland, in July 
1995. During that period, we also adopted a new clause on environmental 
protection and sustainable development for the Olympic Games within the 
Olympic Charter, and we instituted a Sport and Environment Commission.
However, it would still be several years before we established an in-house 
sustainability function, and to a large extent our focus was on environmental 
sustainability through the efforts of Organising Committees for the Olympic 
Games (OCOGs). The turning point came with the development and launch 
of Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic 
Movement, which was approved at the 127th IOC Session in Monaco in 
December 2014.  
Sustainability as a pillar of Olympic Agenda 2020
The 40 recommendations that make up Olympic Agenda 2020 were developed 
through the framework of three inter-related pillars: credibility, sustainability  
and youth. While sustainability touches many of the 40 recommendations 
contained within Olympic Agenda 2020, it is specifically manifested in the 
following two recommendations:
Recommendation 4: Include sustainability in all aspects of the  
Olympic Games 
The IOC to take a more proactive position and leadership role 
with regard to sustainability and ensure that it is included in all 
aspects of the planning and staging of the Olympic Games.
Recommendation 5: Include sustainability within the  
Olympic Movement’s daily operations
The IOC to embrace sustainability principles in its day-to-day operations 
and to engage and assist Olympic Movement stakeholders in integrating 
sustainability within their own organisations and operations 
These recommendations provided the mandate and impetus for placing 
sustainability as an executive priority within the IOC and as a working principle 
for the Olympic Movement. The Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations  
can be accessed on olympic.org/olympic-agenda-2020.
“I call on all stakeholders to join with us and work together 
to build a better, more sustainable world through sport.”
Thomas Bach, IOC President
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IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 1: Setting the scene

After putting in place the organisational structure – namely, a new Sustainability 
and Legacy Commission and Department – necessary to respond effectively 
to the recommendations, the next task was to develop a comprehensive 
IOC Sustainability Strategy to provide the mechanism for taking these 
recommendations forward. 
IOC Sustainability Strategy
Our approach to developing the Sustainability Strategy was based on extensive 
consultations with stakeholders both inside and outside the Olympic Movement. 
These consultations played a vital role in determining the priority areas on which 
we should focus and for setting both medium- and long-term objectives. 
Based on stakeholder input we identified five focus areas: infrastructure and 
natural sites; sourcing and resource management; mobility; workforce;  
and climate. The strategy sets out our objectives and action plans for each of  
these focus areas through the prism of our three spheres of responsibility: 
• the IOC as an organisation; 
• the IOC as owner of the Olympic Games; and 
• the IOC as leader of the Olympic Movement. 
IMPACT
CONTROL                     	
	
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Sourcing and  
resource management
Mobility
Workforce
Climate
Infrastructure and natural sites
Figure 1: Summary framework of the IOC Sustainability Strategy
“To define its long-term strategic sustainability approach, 
the IOC needs to take account of its roles and activities  
in each of these spheres and the relative degrees of  
control and influence it can bring to bear.”
IOC Sustainability Strategy
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IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 1: Setting the scene

Our longer-term strategic intents for 2030 are as follows:
• The IOC to be a role model in sustainability.
• To ensure the Olympic Games are at the forefront in the field of  
sustainability and the host cities can leverage the Games as a catalyst for  
their sustainable development.
• To inspire and assist Olympic Movement stakeholders in developing 
sustainable sport worldwide and to leverage the inspirational power of  
athletes and the Olympic symbol for promoting sustainability through sport.
These strategic intents take into account the timelines of the United Nations’ (UN) 
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and also recognise the lengthy duration 
of the Olympic Games cycle from the Invitation Phase/Dialogue Stage to the 
Candidature Stage and through to the post-Games legacy phase. 
Our medium-term goals are defined by 18 priority objectives, which are to be 
achieved by 2020 and are the main focus for this first sustainability report.
Through this multi-layered approach, we have a broader desire for sport as a  
whole to become a leading industry in the field of sustainable development.
Link with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
Our Sustainability Strategy includes a long-term perspective aligned to the  
2030 SDGs set out by the UN in 2015. These “global goals” provide a framework 
for businesses, governments and other institutions to set policies and strategic 
action plans that address their own material impacts within the wider context of 
providing a healthy and decent living and working environment for all.
To a greater or lesser degree, our policies and activities touch upon all the SDGs. 
However, we have particularly identified 12 SDGs to which we feel we can 
contribute in meaningful and tangible ways.
One of the IOC’s missions is “To promote sport and the Olympic values in society, 
with a focus on young people”. This mission is closely linked to sustainability  
and is covered by dedicated IOC programmes that focus on the contribution of 
sport to health and well-being, gender equality, education and peace. 
Through these programmes, the IOC and the Olympic Movement actively 
contribute to the SDGs related to health and well-being (SDG 3), quality 
education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), peace, justice and strong 
institutions (SDG 16) and partnerships for sustainability (SDG 17). By further 
embedding sustainability in the IOC’s activities and developing partnerships  
with relevant bodies, we intend to reinforce our contribution to these SDGs  
while contributing to others, as seen in the diagram on the following page:
“These strategic intents for 2030 represent the IOC’s  
vision of what a sustainable future could look like for  
the organisation, the Olympic Games and the Olympic 
Movement, as well as the IOC’s contribution towards 
achieving the SDGs.”
IOC Sustainability Strategy
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IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 1: Setting the scene

Report scope and objectives
This report covers sustainability in relation to the activities of the IOC and its 
owned entities (see Chapter 2, pages 23-25). We have prepared the report in 
accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards – Core Option, 
and have followed the GRI principles of stakeholder inclusiveness, sustainability 
context, materiality and completeness. 
We have selected the content for this report so it reflects 
progress towards implementing our Sustainability Strategy, 
as well as topics addressed by other IOC programmes and 
processes that are relevant to sustainability. We have also 
assessed materiality based on issues raised and opinions 
that we receive from our stakeholders.
Our objective is to provide an accurate and open account 
of how we are addressing sustainability at the IOC,  
and in particular to describe how we are progressing 
towards our 18 objectives for 2020 as set out in our 
Sustainability Strategy. 
Assessing materiality
A thorough assessment of materiality is a significant 
part of developing a sustainability strategy and is also a 
requirement for our sustainability management system in 
accordance with ISO 20121 (see page 33). We believe we 
have achieved this through a number of related processes.
First, we carried out an extensive consultation exercise throughout 2014 across 
the Olympic Movement and with the general public in the development of 
Olympic Agenda 2020. This was a very broad review, not simply on sustainability 
issues, which drew considerable feedback on related matters of governance, 
transparency, sport development, the management of the Olympic Games and 
candidature processes, human rights, environmental protection, gender equality, 
youth engagement and the protection of clean athletes.
Figure 2: Key SDGs to which the IOC aims to contribute
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IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 1: Setting the scene

Following the adoption of Olympic Agenda 2020 in December 2014, we initiated  
a more detailed round of stakeholder engagement and consultation specifically  
on the development of our Sustainability Strategy throughout 2015 and 2016. 
In total, more than 100 organisations and individual experts were consulted, 
representing diverse interests and opinions.
The outcome of this process led us to define the three spheres of responsibility 
and the five focus areas for our Sustainability Strategy. Please refer to the 
Sustainability Strategy (pages 31-37) for a description of the rationale for 
selecting our five focus areas.
Stakeholder engagement process 
All stakeholders of the Olympic Movement, as well as external experts  
and the general public
More than 40,000 submissions received, generating some 1,200 ideas
14 working groups, one of which on Sustainability & Legacy,  
gathering 11 individuals (IOC Members and experts)
Over 100 stakeholders and experts consulted, including:
• IOC Members and IOC staff  
(Lausanne and Madrid operations)
• National Olympic Committees (NOCs)
• International Federations (IFs)
• Organising Committees for the Olympic Games 
(OCOGs) and 2024 candidate cities
• TOP Partners1
• Over 25 international organisations2 and 
sustainability experts representing a variety  
of interests and viewpoints
IOC  
Sustainability 
Strategy
2014
Stakeholder consultation to develop Olympic Agenda 2020
Stakeholder consultation to develop the IOC Sustainability Strategy
2015
2016
PUBLICATION OF
OLYMPIC AGENDA 2020
1 TOP Partners are the worldwide Olympic sponsors. They currently include The Coca-Cola Company, Alibaba, 
Allianz, Atos, Bridgestone, Dow, GE, Intel, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Toyota and Visa.
2 Including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature 
(IUCN), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the World Union of 
Olympic Cities, the Green Sports Alliance, etc.
19 
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 1: Setting the scene

For reporting purposes, we have looked beyond our specific Strategy to include 
other topics that are material to the IOC’s overall sustainability performance. 
These additional topics are generally managed through existing or developing 
IOC strategies and programmes, and it would have been duplicative to focus 
on them within the Sustainability Strategy. We are also continually taking note of 
the views and expectations of our stakeholders, and reflecting issues that have 
emerged or arisen over the reporting period (see Appendix 2, pages 103-104). 
We have identified six additional material topics, which are listed in Table 1  
below. The first four have always been integral to the missions and core 
purpose of the IOC. The last two have for a long time been implicit across  
our activities, but in recent years they have come into sharper relief and have 
been of specific concern to the public and other stakeholder groups.
This is fundamental to good governance. The IOC has encountered a number of high-profile challenges in this area and it is important that we highlight  
the measures we have implemented to protect the integrity of our organisation.
• Integrity and  
anti-corruption
These are partly covered by the Workforce focus area, but have a broader reach as part of the core missions of the Olympic Movement,  
which aims to bring positive changes to society through sport.
• Health
• Education
• Gender equality
Rationale
Material topics
This is partly covered by the Workforce focus area. However, it has a broader reach that covers IOC policies and programmes on improving the protection,  
promotion and respect of human rights in Olympic sport, notably in relation to the principle of non-discrimination.
This is partly covered by the Sourcing and resource management focus area. However, it has a broader reach in terms of the significant direct and indirect economic contribution  
brought by the IOC to the Olympic Movement, and the IOC’s increasing efforts to assist host cities in maximising the legacy of the Olympic Games (see Chapter 4, pages 60-77).
• Human rights
• Economic value 
generated
Table 1: Material topics beyond the focus areas of the IOC Sustainability Strategy
20 
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 1: Setting the scene

Exclusions
This report does not cover the sustainability performance of the Olympic Games 
or Youth Olympic Games (YOG). This is the responsibility of the OCOGs, the 
Youth Olympic Games Organising Committees (YOGOCs) and other host city 
delivery partners, which directly report to them. Therefore, the section in this 
report on the IOC as owner of the Olympic Games focuses on the activities 
we undertake in support of the delivery of the Games, such as incorporating 
sustainability aspects into the Candidature Process and defining sustainability 
requirements for OCOGs. 
Our remit does not include the Paralympic Games, which are overseen by the 
International Paralympic Committee (IPC). However, before the London 2012 
Games, the IOC and the IPC entered into a close partnership and cooperation 
agreement, which in March 2018 was extended to 2032. The effect of this is that 
our activities in support of delivery of the Olympic Games also flow through to the 
delivery of the Paralympic Games. This is certainly true for our sustainability work.
Reporting period
As this is the first Sustainability Report following the publication of the IOC 
Sustainability Strategy, the main reporting period, particularly for quantitative  
data, covers the calendar year 2017. However, in some cases we have included 
data from 2016 where it helps to provide more context or greater certainty in 
baseline setting. 
For qualitative results and descriptions of activities and progress, we have tried to 
provide the most up-to-date account at the time of publication in October 2018. 
Therefore, where possible, we have extended the reporting period into mid-2018.
Reporting frequency
The work of the IOC is fundamentally geared around the cycle of each  
Olympiad. An Olympiad is a period of four consecutive calendar years, beginning 
on 1 January of the first year and ending on 31 December of the fourth year. 
The XXXI Olympiad began on 1 January 2016, the year of the Olympic Games 
Rio 2016, and ends on 31 December 2019, the year before the Olympic Games 
Tokyo 2020.
Within each Olympiad, there will be an edition of the Olympic Summer Games,  
an edition of the Olympic Winter Games, Candidature Processes and elections for 
future host cities, and editions of the YOG. This means that no consecutive years 
are similar, and levels of activity and focus vary considerably according to the 
phase of the Olympiad.
The timing of this first Sustainability Report is in accordance with the commitment 
in our Sustainability Strategy to report every two years, approximately six months 
after the completion of the preceding Winter or Summer Olympic Games – in this 
case, six months after the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. 
In the future, we are looking to align our sustainability reporting more closely with 
other corporate reports issued by the IOC and to optimise our reporting timelines 
across the lifecycle of the Olympiad. Furthermore, in 2020 we will be setting new 
objectives for the next four-year cycle. 
Meanwhile, we will provide progress updates and related information on a  
regular basis via the sustainability pages on olympic.org. This will include shorter, 
summary annual Sustainability Reports, highlighting material changes and results 
related to the implementation of our Strategy. 
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 1: Setting the scene
21

22 
IOC SUSTAINABILITY  
MANAGEMENT APPROACH
CHAPTER 2

23 
As an organisation dedicated to making the world a better place through  
sport, the IOC contributes to sustainable development in many aspects of its 
work (see Link with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, pages 17-18).  
With the advent of Olympic Agenda 2020, we now have a specific focus on 
sustainability at the IOC, and it is important to understand how the new  
structures and initiatives fit together with existing governance arrangements  
and programmes across our organisation.
This chapter discusses how we organise sustainability within the IOC and  
what has been done to improve and connect internal structures and processes. 
Details on our progress implementing the specific objectives set out in  
our Sustainability Strategy and other related programmes are covered in  
Chapters 3-5 (pages 41-97).
Corporate structure and governance
Full details of our institutional role, structure and governance can be  
found at olympic.org. These aspects are also described in detail in the  
IOC Annual Report 2017 (Chapter 1: Leading the Olympic Movement).  
For convenience, and to provide essential context for this first Sustainability 
Report, we have summarised some of the main elements below.
The Olympic Charter 
The Olympic Charter is the codification of the Fundamental Principles,  
Rules and Bye-laws adopted by the IOC. It governs the organisation and  
running of the Olympic Movement and sets the conditions for the celebration  
of the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Movement 
The Olympic Movement encompasses organisations, athletes and other 
persons who agree to be guided by the principles of the Olympic Charter.  
The three main constituents of the Olympic Movement are:
•	The IOC  
As leader of the Movement.
•	The National Olympic Committees (NOCs)  
Organisations that develop, promote and protect the Olympic Movement in 
their respective countries. There are currently 206 NOCs recognised by the 
IOC. For more information, see olympic.org.
•	The International 
Federations (IFs)  
International non-
governmental 
organisations (NGOs) 
administering one 
or several sports 
at world level and 
encompassing 
organisations 
administering such 
sports at national level. 
For more information, 
see olympic.org.
IOC sustainability management approach
International 
Federations 
(IFs)
National  
Olympic 
Committees 
(NOCs)
IOC
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

Olympism is a philosophy of life, which places  
sport at the service of humankind
Building a better world through sport
•	 Ensure the uniqueness and the regular celebration of the Olympic Games
•	 Put athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement
•	 Promote sport and the Olympic values in society, with a focus on young people
Excellence
Missions
Values
Vision
Universality 
and Solidarity
Working 
Principles
Unity in  
Diversity
Autonomy and 
Good Governance
Sustainability
Respect
Friendship
24 
Other constituents include the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games 
(OCOGs), the national associations, clubs and persons belonging to the NOCs 
and IFs, and other organisations and institutions as recognised by the IOC. 
As illustrated on the left, the Olympic Movement’s vision is “Building a better world 
through sport”. It includes explicit reference to sustainability as a working principle 
of the Olympic Movement, recognising the need to move from a technical 
approach to one where sustainability is integral to the culture of the organisation. 
The IOC 
From a legal standpoint, the IOC is an international non-governmental, non-profit 
organisation of unlimited duration, in the form of an association with the status of 
a legal person, recognised by the Swiss Federal Council. The organisations and 
programmes owned and controlled by the IOC are listed over the page.
In addition to fulfilling the three missions of the Olympic Movement (as listed in 
Figure 3), there are two further missions specific to the IOC: leading the  
Olympic Movement and optimising the performance of the organisation.
Figure 3: Vision, values, missions and working principles of the Olympic Movement
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

25 
•	The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage 
(OFCH), a foundation governed by the provisions of the Swiss 
Civil Code that depicts the history and development of the 
Olympic Movement and associates it with art and culture for 
specialists and the public at large worldwide. 
•	The Olympic Foundation (OF), a foundation governed by the 
provisions of the Swiss Civil Code that gives support to the 
activities of the Olympic Movement, notably in the areas of 
culture, education and sports. 
•	Olympic Solidarity (OS), a programme developed jointly by 
the IOC and the NOCs that assists the officially recognised 
NOCs, especially those most in need, to fulfil their mission 
and makes known the ideals of the Olympic Movement. 
•	IOC Television and Marketing Services SA (IOCTMS), 
a company fully owned by the OF that manages the IOC’s 
worldwide sponsorship programme, all its other marketing 
activities and activities related to broadcasting rights and  
new media. 
•	The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme, the IOC’s 
worldwide sponsorship programme, which is managed  
by IOCTMS. 
•	Olympic Broadcasting Services SA (OBS SA),  
a company fully owned by the OF that supplies all services 
relating to the establishment and management of the  
Host Broadcasting function of the Olympic Games. 
•	Olympic Broadcasting Services SL (OBS SL),  
a company that provides services to OBS SA and is a  
fully owned subsidiary of OBS SA.
•	Olympic Channel Services SA (OCS SA), a company fully 
owned by the OF that provides any types of services in 
relation to audio-visual programmes relating to the Olympic 
Movement and to sports, ensuring the distribution of such 
programmes through all available media including through 
digital and linear broadcasting. 
•	Olympic Channel Services Spain SL (OCS SL),  
a company that provides services to OCS SA and is a  
fully owned subsidiary of OCS SA.
	
* Source: Consolidated Financial Statements, IOC Annual Report 2017
Organisations and programmes wholly owned and controlled by the IOC*
IOC Membership 
IOC Members are volunteers who represent the IOC and Olympic Movement in 
their country (they are not delegates of their country within the IOC). New Members 
are elected by the IOC Session by secret ballot. 
Since 12 December 1999, the number of Members has been limited to 115,  
which includes a maximum of 70 individual members, 15 active athletes,  
15 representatives of the NOCs and 15 representatives of the IFs. An age limit  
has been set at 80 for Members elected between 1967 and 1999 (34 of the  
current membership), and at 70 for those whose election took place after 1999 
(currently 65 members). For more information, see olympic.org.
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

26 
Sessions 
The Session is the general meeting of the Members of the IOC. The IOC’s 
main decisions (including choosing the host cities of the Olympic Games, the 
composition of the sports programme and electing new Members) are taken during 
Sessions. An ordinary Session is held once a year. Extraordinary Sessions may  
be convened by the President or upon the written request of at least one third of 
the Members. For more information, see olympic.org.
IOC Executive Board 
The IOC Executive Board has the general responsibility for the administration and 
management of the IOC’s affairs. Created in 1921, the Executive Board is currently 
composed of the IOC President, four Vice-Presidents and ten other members – all 
elected by the Session by secret ballot. Board members may serve no more than 
two consecutive terms of four years, and must then wait two years before being  
re-eligible for election to the Board. For more information, see olympic.org.
The President 
The President is the IOC’s permanent representative and presides over all of its 
activities and is the Chair of the Executive Board. Elected by the Session during a 
secret ballot of IOC Members, the President’s mandate is eight years, renewable 
once for four years. For more information, see olympic.org.
IOC Commissions 
The President may establish commissions and other standing or ad hoc  
working groups for the purpose of advising the Session, the Executive Board or 
him/herself as the case may be. 
Today, the IOC has 22 commissions, including the Sustainability and  
Legacy Commission, plus coordination commissions for each edition of the 
Olympic Games, as well as an evaluation commission for candidate cities. The 
commissions may be permanent or ad hoc. For more information, see olympic.org.
Ethics  
The IOC was the first sports organisation to set up an independent  
Ethics Commission in 1999 to safeguard the ethical principles of the  
Olympic Movement. These principles are set out in the Code of Ethics and  
its Implementing Provisions.
The Ethics Commission establishes the Code of Ethics and, in the event of a 
violation of the ethical principles, analyses complaints and proposes sanctions.
President Bach at the 132nd IOC Session, held in February 2018
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

27 
This independent Commission is made up of nine members. The Chair and the 
majority of the members are not IOC Members, Honorary Members or former 
IOC Members. The Chair and members of the Ethics Commission are elected  
by the IOC Session, a change introduced following Recommendation 30 of 
Olympic Agenda 2020, for renewable terms of four years.
Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer
The Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO) function was created in 2015  
in line with Recommendation 31 of Olympic Agenda 2020. The mission of the 
CECO is primarily one of prevention through education and the provision of 
information relating to ethical principles. It also has an advisory role for the whole 
Olympic Movement, in order to help achieve better application of the ethical 
principles and rules. In all cases, this advice remains confidential.
If a failure to comply with ethical principles is suspected, the CECO performs an 
initial compliance analysis. In serious cases where the suspicion seems founded, 
the CECO refers such cases to the Ethics Commission according to Rules of 
Procedure. These rules strengthen the transparency of the procedure and the 
right to due process of the people concerned.
Risk and assurance 
An effective risk and assurance governance model is important to help us to 
reduce potential risks and take advantage of opportunities, while also ensuring 
the fulfilment of our missions and objectives. Our risk and assurance system is 
therefore a core element of our governance model. It operates at three levels, or 
“lines of defence”, as shown in Figure 4 on the following page.
Operationally, IOC departments ensure that risks are identified, reported, 
evaluated and responded to in a timely manner, while managerial functions help 
build and/or monitor these operational controls. This serves as an oversight 
function within our administration, ensuring that controls, framework, policies 
and procedures are set up, aligned with the IOC’s objectives and implemented 
throughout the administration.
In addition, we have established independent functions that provide assurance to 
our governing bodies and the Director General on how effectively the organisation 
assesses and manages its risks. The independence of these functions is critical 
to guarantee their objectivity.
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

28 
Corporate security 
Unfortunately, we live in an uncertain world with increasing range and 
levels of threats – from physical security to cyber-attacks. As a responsible 
organisation operating on a global stage, we therefore have 
to pay particular attention to the safety and security of our 
people and the integrity and availability of our assets and 
information. Accordingly, as part of our risk and assurance 
governance model, a new role, Head of Corporate Security, 
was created in 2017. Our Corporate Security function takes 
an intelligence-led approach to advising on and overseeing 
the IOC’s various layers of protection.
Audit Committee 
The Audit Committee reports to the IOC Executive Board and 
the IOC President, and assists the Director General’s office 
in fulfilling its responsibilities in terms of risk management, 
financial reporting, compliance, control and governance. 
The Audit Committee is supported by the Chief Internal 
Auditor and oversees all IOC entities, including OFCH, the 
OF, OS, IOCTMS, OBS and OCS.
Internal audit 
The Chief Internal Auditor is appointed by and reports 
functionally to the Audit Committee, which regularly reviews 
the scope of Internal Audit, audit plans and results of the 
internal audits. It assists the IOC in accomplishing its objectives by bringing  
a systematic and disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the 
effectiveness of the organisation’s governance, risk management and  
internal control processes.
1st Line of Defence
	 Operational Management
2nd Line of Defence
	 Risk Management
	 Legal 
	 Internal Control
	 Procurement
	 Human Resources
	 Corporate Security
	 Ethics and Compliance 
(scope: IOC Administration 
Ethical matters)
3rd Line of Defence
	 Internal Audit (scope:  
IOC Administration)
	 Ethics and Compliance 
(scope: IOC Members)
IOC Session / Executive Board / President / Audit Committee / Ethics Commission / Functional Commissions
Director General / Directors
External  
Audit
Figure 4: IOC risk and assurance governance model
The IOC’s risk and assurance governance model is summarised below.
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

29 
External audit  
The external auditor is responsible for providing an opinion on whether  
the combined financial statements comply with International Financial  
Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Swiss law, and whether the separate statutory 
financial statements comply with Swiss law. The financial statements of the  
IOC are prepared according to IFRS, even though the IOC is not legally required  
to do so. The external auditor conducts the audit in accordance with Swiss  
law and Swiss Auditing Standards as well as the International Standards  
on Auditing.
IOC administration 
The IOC administration is placed under the responsibility of the Director General, 
who manages it under the President’s authority together with the assistance  
of the directors of various departments and programmes. The Olympic Charter 
defines the role of the IOC administration, which is headquartered in Lausanne, 
Switzerland, as follows:
•	the preparation, implementation and follow-up of decisions taken by the Session, 	
Executive Board and President;
•	the preparation and follow-up of the work of all commissions and permanent 
liaison with the NOCs, IFs and OCOGs;
•	the coordination of preparation for all Olympic Games;
•	the organisation and preparation of other Olympic events;
•	the circulation of information within the Olympic Movement;
•	advice to Candidate Cities;
•	relations with many international governmental and non-governmental 
organisations dealing with, in particular, sport, education and culture; and 
•	liaison with Olympic Solidarity and the implementation of many other tasks  
of an ongoing or ad hoc nature assigned to it by the President and the  
Executive Board.
To this we can add the role of building relations with organisations active in the field 
of sustainability and Olympic Games legacy.
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

30 
Provides strategic advice on 
priority sustainability themes, 
and reviews Sustainability 
Strategy’s implementation
Supports Sustainability Strategy’s 
implementation across IOC departments 
and provides feedback
IOC SUSTAINABILITY AND 
LEGACY COMMISSION
Provide independent opinion 
on sustainability management 
systems and reporting
INDEPENDENT 
VERIFICATION BODIES
INTER-DEPARTMENTAL 
WORKING GROUP
LAUSANNE – MADRID 
WORKING GROUP 
Can send comments and suggestions 
via sustainability@olympic.org
GENERAL PUBLIC
Provides feedback 
and recommendations
EXTERNAL  
STAKEHOLDER GROUP
DIRECTOR GENERAL & BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Submit changes to Sustainability Strategy for approval
Feedback on changes to Sustainability 
Strategy and Sustainability Reports
Provide resources to implement Sustainability Strategy
EXECUTIVE BOARD CHAIRED  
BY IOC PRESIDENT
CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT,  
BRAND AND SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT
Develops and implements the Sustainability Strategy 
 
 Manages internal and external stakeholders 
 
 Reports on progress and submits changes 
to the Sustainability Strategy
Coordinates handling of issues, complaints 
and allegations relating to sustainability
Figure 5: Sustainability governance
Sustainability governance
The chart below shows how the various elements that make up the IOC Sustainability Strategy fit within the IOC corporate structure and therefore relate to  
the wider governance structures and processes outlined in the preceding sections of this chapter.
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

31 
Sustainability and Legacy Commission 
As a result of Olympic Agenda 2020, a Sustainability and Legacy Commission  
was created to advise the IOC Session, the IOC Executive Board and the IOC 
President on sustainability and legacy matters.
Under the Chairmanship of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco,  
the Commission meets annually with the specific remit to:
•	provide a constructive review of the IOC Sustainability Strategy, policies  
and progress reports;
•	provide strategic advice on priority sustainability and legacy themes for  
the IOC and the Olympic Movement and their relevance to the global  
sustainability agenda;
•	advise on ways to maximise the legacy of the Olympic Games and on  
the management of key sustainability and legacy risks related to the  
Olympic Games;
•	advise on ways to encourage the development and promotion of sustainability 
and legacy best practices throughout the Olympic Movement; 
•	suggest major institutions that could support the IOC in achieving its  
sustainability and legacy objectives; and
•	support and communicate sustainability and legacy achievements, including 
through athletes.
The Commission has approximately 30 members, including IOC Members, 
representatives of the NOCs and IFs, international organisations and NGOs,  
TOP Partners and individual experts, academics and the sustainability or  
legacy leads from current OCOGs. The IOC’s Corporate Development,  
Brand and Sustainability Department provides the administrative support for  
the Commission.
The most significant outcomes to date have been the Commission’s support  
of the IOC Sustainability Strategy (approved in December 2016) and the  
IOC Legacy Strategic Approach (approved in December 2017), and its 
recommendation for both to be presented to the IOC Executive Board for approval. 
Corporate Development, Brand and Sustainability Department 
Our Sustainability Unit sits within the IOC’s Corporate Development, Brand  
and Sustainability Department. The Department also includes a unit specifically 
dedicated to Olympic Games legacy. The Department’s Director reports to  
the IOC Director General.
As of the end of 2017, the Sustainability Unit had a headcount of three full-time  
staff, supported by external independent experts contracted for ad hoc missions. 
The Unit also procures specialist consultants for detailed technical assignments, 
such as calculating the IOC’s carbon footprint. In post since October 2018, the 
IOC’s new Sustainability and Legacy Communications Manager will enable us  
to be more proactive in our external communications and outreach.
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Chapter 2: IOC sustainability management approach

32 
The Unit’s internal function may be summarised as advocacy, education, technical 
support, coordination and reporting. Its role in developing and coordinating 
corporate sustainability means regular interaction with administrative functions,  
such as Procurement, Logistics, Marketing, Technology and Human Resources. 
To ensure effective coordination across key internal stakeholders, an inter-
departmental working group was established in 2017. Based in Lausanne, this  
group of ten staff members represents several departments that are directly involved 
in delivering sustainability actions related to the IOC’s role as an organisation.  
The working group’s objectives are to promote cross-departmental exchanges  
on good practices, share knowledge and review progress on a quarterly basis. 
A Lausanne–Madrid working group also exists. It includes four Madrid-based 
representatives of OBS/OCS, who have sustainability responsibilities, and  
the IOC Sustainability Unit in Lausanne. The working group’s objective is to 
implement the IOC Sustainability Strategy within OBS/OCS operations, and  
to run the ISO 14001/50001 environmental and energy management systems  
in Madrid.
On matters related to the Olympic Games, the Sustainability Unit works in  
close collaboration with the Olympic Games Department. Specifically, this 
collaboration concerns Candidature Coordination, Venue Development  
and Games Operations functions, as well as Olympic Games Knowledge 
Management (OGKM).
For work directed towards the Olympic Movement, the principal internal 
stakeholders are the NOC Relations, Olympic Solidarity and Sport Departments. 
Our external-facing role also requires close liaison with the Communications 
Department and IOCTMS, which oversees The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme.
The Sustainability Unit also works with independent verification bodies appointed 
to provide verification services on our Sustainability Reports, third-party auditing of 
our sustainability management system and other forms of assurance, such as the 
approval of green building standards for our new headquarters building.
Externally, we spend considerable effort on engaging with sustainability 
stakeholders to learn about, discuss and promote sport and sustainability matters. 
We regularly represent the IOC at various international conferences and working 
groups. We also interact on an informal basis with peers from other institutions in our 
region. This network of sustainability professionals provides a valuable opportunity 
to share experiences, seek advice and gather intelligence relating to our sector.
Management approach for the five focus areas of  
the Sustainability Strategy
All matters related to the implementation of our Sustainability Strategy are  
managed or coordinated by the Sustainability Unit. Our management approach 
relies upon the following elements:
•	the IOC Sustainability Policy, detailed on page 50 of the IOC Sustainability 
Strategy, which formalises top management commitment to sustainability 
principles values and purpose, legal compliance and continuous improvement, 
and which was signed by our Director General in October 2017;
•	high-level strategic intents for 2030 and a set of 18 sustainability objectives for 
2020 across our five focus areas and three spheres of responsibility;
•	financial, human and technical resources necessary for implementing the four-
year action plans (reflecting our Olympiad cycle), which are reviewed annually;
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33 
•	an internal working group with representatives from key units and departments 
involved in the delivery of the Strategy within the IOC’s daily operations in 
Lausanne, which enables cross-departmental synergies and reviews progress  
on a quarterly basis;
•	open reporting through this document and other forms of internal and external 
communication on progress, challenges and lessons learned, and ongoing 
dialogue with our stakeholders;
•	an internal communications plan;
•	the definition of roles and responsibilities with regard to sustainability across the 
organisation (in progress);
•	capacity-building and awareness-raising activities to improve levels of knowledge 
and competence across other functions/departments (under development);
•	an external communications plan (under development); and
•	a suite of processes and tools, including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), to 
measure progress towards the objectives related to the IOC’s daily operations 
(under development).
We are developing additional management processes and tools for the organisation 
of our corporate events in line with the ISO 20121:2012 standard, the international 
standard for Event Sustainability Management Systems. The first major event to 
achieve this standard was the Olympic Games London 2012, which the International 
Organization for Standardization (ISO) describes as “the catalyst for ISO 20121”.  
Our objective is to have our events operations certified to ISO 20121:2012 by 2020. 
In addition, OBS and OCS have implemented an environmental and energy 
management system certified according to ISO 14001 and ISO 5001 for the 
Madrid-based operations, a certification obtained in 2017. 
Management approach for other material topics
Other material topics are those that are highly relevant to sustainability but not 
specifically addressed in full through the five focus areas of our Sustainability 
Strategy. This is because by their nature they are central to the IOC’s mission  
“To promote sport and the Olympic values in society, with a focus on young 
people”, and are therefore addressed primarily through other established 
programmes. These topics may also have risen to prominence through  
stakeholder feedback and emerging issues. 
Health (Sport and Active Society) 
The IOC encourages the regular practice of sport by all people in society,  
regardless of sex, age, social background or economic status. This is done in  
many ways, year-round and on all five continents. 
We want to increase access to sport for all and provide everyone, in particular 
young people, with the educational and health values of sport. For information  
on how we achieve this aim and on our key achievements in 2017, please visit  
our Sport and Active Society pages and refer to the IOC Annual Report 2017 
(pages 100 to 101).
Gender equality 
The IOC has for a long time been advocating for greater gender equality in sport. 
More recently, in March 2017, we launched the IOC Gender Equality Review 
Project, a joint initiative of the IOC Women in Sport and Athletes’ Commissions. 
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34 
This project resulted in 25 recommendations 
covering both sport-related matters of 
participation, portrayal and funding, and 
broader matters covering the role and 
opportunities for women in organisational 
governance and the importance of  
inclusive organisational cultures and  
diversity in leadership. 
At the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, a record 1,242 female athletes 
out of a total of 2,952 athletes were in action, competing across all seven winter 
sports. Further underlining our commitment to promoting gender parity, the 
Olympic Winter Games now feature several mixed gender events: curling mixed 
doubles; the mixed team event in Alpine skiing; luge and biathlon mixed relays;  
and the pairs, ice dance and team events in figure skating.
The 2017 highlights on this topic are presented in the IOC Annual Report 2017 
(pages 96 to 99). For further information on gender equality within the IOC,  
see Chapter 3, pages 54-55. 
Education 
Our focus on education is via the Olympic Values Education Programme  
(OVEP), which comprises a series of free and accessible teaching resources  
that we have created. Using the context of Olympic sports and the core  
principles of Olympism, participants are encouraged to experience values 
-based learning and to assume the responsibilities of good citizenship.  
OVEP communicates the benefit of sport and physical activity through an 
understanding of Olympism and its impact on individual health, enjoyment,  
and social interaction.
The 2017 highlights on this topic are presented in the IOC Annual Report 2017 
(pages 102 to 103).
Integrity and anti-corruption 
For many decades, we have fully recognised the importance of strengthening the 
integrity of sports organisations and protecting clean athletes. The fight against 
doping, manipulation of competitions and any other forms of cheating in sport on 
the one hand, and the strengthening of ethics with improvements in transparency, 
good governance and accountability of sports organisations on the other, have 
been top priorities for the IOC. Accordingly, we have continuously set up structures, 
policies, processes and programmes to improve integrity at competitions and within 
our own organisation. 
As leader of the Olympic Movement, we have worked with its various stakeholders 
to help enhance governance across all levels. To maximise the impact of these 
activities, we have coordinated with governments, international organisations,  
NGOs and other stakeholders. In particular, the IOC is one of the founding partners 
of the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS), the unique 
official partnership aiming to set up pragmatic solutions for sport organisations  
and governments to mitigate the risk of corruption. 
Please see the IOC Annual Report 2017 (pages 31 to 42) for further details.
Approach to ethical awareness and training 
Anti-corruption policies and procedures are part of the IOC Code of Ethics and  
its implementing text, which are communicated to all IOC Members. In addition,  
in 2017, all IOC Members completed an ethical awareness programme that  
raised the importance of anti-corruption principles. In the future, all newly elected 
IOC Members will also complete this training. 
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•	 Lausanne-based IOC entities  
IOC staff regulations include a Code of Conduct based on the IOC Code  
of Ethics, which emphasises the importance of anti-corruption principles.  
All staff went through the ethics e-learning module in 2016 and are required to 
carry out the training again in 2018, and all newly recruited IOC staff members  
undergo this training when they join the organisation. An Alert Transmission 
Mechanism is available to allow employees to report any breach, observed  
or reasonably suspected, of the Code of Conduct, the IOC Code of Ethics or  
the Olympic Charter.
On a regular basis, the CECO informs and educates the IOC administration,  
IOC Members and IOC Commission members about the IOC’s ethical principles 
with which they need to comply, using the following methods:
•	 education about the updated staff regulations, which strengthen existing 
formalities and include a robust Code of Conduct based on the IOC  
Code of Ethics; 
•	 an e-learning module on ethics for all staff;
•	 an awareness programme (including real-life scenarios, as well as past 
experiences) on all ethical matters, including conflicts of interest, delivered  
to all the IOC Members, IOC staff and directors;
•	 information about the dedicated Alert Transmission Mechanism, which  
IOC staff must use in the event of concerns about possible unethical  
conduct to alert the CECO;
•	 customised ethics training for IOC Members; and 
•	 the wide dissemination of the Code of Ethics across various stakeholder  
groups, including TOP Partners, Rights-Holding Broadcasters (RHBs),  
NOCs and IFs.
In addition, suppliers of goods and services to the IOC are required to commit to 
comply with anti-conflict of interest and anti-corruption clauses included in  
the newly developed IOC Supplier Code.
•	 Madrid-based IOC entities  
OBS and OCS share a Code of Business Conduct, which is applicable to  
OBS/OCS employees and suppliers. The Code of Business Conduct was 
updated in 2017 and has specific sections about integrity, conflicts of interest, 
gifts and outside employment or engagements. It forms part of the employment 
acceptance agreements.
Integrity Hotline  
The IOC has established a confidential and anonymous Integrity Hotline, which  
can be used by external stakeholders for reporting potential infringements of the 
IOC Code of Ethics. Types of issues that may be reported via the hotline include:
•	suspicious approaches or activities related to sport competition manipulation; 
•	incidents of harassment and/or abuse; 
•	financial misconduct; and 
•	other legal, regulatory or ethical breaches over which the IOC has jurisdiction.
For more information on our management approach to integrity and the fight 
against corruption, please see olympic.org.
Human rights  
The IOC is committed to improving the protection, promotion and respect of  
human rights as they relate to our own operations, the Olympic Games’ 
organisation and more generally the practice of sport at large in cooperation  
with NOCs, IFs and other partners. 
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Olympism is based on a vision of human rights, which is reflected in the  
Olympic Charter, the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, the IOC Code of  
Ethics and the mission of the IOC to put sport at the service of humanity.  
The principle of non-discrimination allows sport to promote peace and 
understanding among all peoples.
The objectives are to ensure that across our three spheres of responsibility,  
people’s rights are put at the core of our operations and human rights are  
respected in line with international agreements and standards, including the  
United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). 
Since the adoption of the UNGPs in 2011, the “responsibility to respect human 
rights” has become the baseline expectation of any organisation, including  
sports organisations, that conducts business activities (broadly understood) 
wherever it operates. 
The UNGPs do not impose new legal obligations on organisations or change  
the nature of existing human rights instruments: they help to articulate what  
these established instruments mean for both states and organisations/companies,  
and to address the gap between law and practice. In this context, the  
responsibility means that organisations should prevent and address any  
negative impacts on people connected to their operations, including where  
states fail to meet their own duty to protect human rights. These principles  
apply to all states and to all organisations, including sports organisations,  
sponsors and broadcasters. 
Accordingly, we have conducted a first-level analysis to identify where  
the IOC aligns with these guiding principles and other relevant international  
standards. This has enabled us to identify any gaps and assess the  
status and effectiveness of some of the IOC’s policies and procedures  
across each of our three spheres of responsibility, in particular as they  
relate to: 
•	governance, ethics and anti-corruption; 
•	gender equality; 
•	workers’ rights; 
•	sourcing and supply chain; 
•	safeguarding and harassment; 
•	athletes’ rights; 
•	third-party engagement; 
•	broadcasters and journalists; and 
•	internal IOC management.
In this way we have determined the key areas where further research and 
intervention will be required to address human rights risks related to specific 
policies, procedures and practices. Specifically, this first level of analysis  
sets the basis for:
•	building further internal understanding and support for our human rights 
responsibilities;
•	developing an IOC human rights policy;
•	developing a risk-based overarching IOC human rights strategy;
•	elaborating a detailed plan of priority actions for the coming years that  
will demonstrate progress in making our commitment tangible in the  
short-to-medium term;
•	ensuring continual efforts to refresh policies; and 
•	building robust human rights due diligence systems and remedy processes  
in the longer term.
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Economic value generated 
The IOC, and the organisations within the Olympic Movement, are entirely privately 
funded. The IOC’s strong financial foundation is driven by its partnerships with 
sponsors and broadcasters, which provide sustainable revenue streams to ensure 
the independent financial stability of the Olympic Movement. The continued growth 
of these partnerships supports the IOC’s objectives of promoting the worldwide 
development of sport, supporting the staging of the Olympic Games and assisting 
in the global promotion of the Olympic Movement. 
Thanks to the successful 2013-2016 Olympiad, the IOC is in a position to distribute 
more revenue than ever before. To ensure the credibility of the Olympic Movement, 
its values and its mission, the IOC strives to demonstrate good governance in all  
of its practices. This includes increasing the transparency of its operations, which  
is one of the recommendations outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020. Therefore, 
although the IOC is under no legal obligation to apply International Financial 
Reporting Standards (IFRS), it strongly believes that to do so will help it to achieve 
more transparency, comparability and high quality in its financial statements.
The IOC distributes 90 per cent of its revenue of an Olympiad in order to support 
the staging of the Olympic Games and promote the worldwide development of 
sport and the Olympic Movement. The IOC retains only 10 per cent of Olympic 
revenue for IOC activities to develop sport and to cover the operational costs of 
governing the Olympic Movement.
The IOC generates revenue through several programmes, including the sale of 
broadcasting rights, the worldwide TOP sponsorship programme and the IOC 
official supplier and licensing programme.
The IOC’s 2013-2016 total revenue of USD 5.7 billion represented an increase of  
7.6 per cent compared to the 2009-2012 total revenue. The main driver of the 
increase was television broadcasting rights, which increased by 8.1 per cent to  
USD 4.2 billion compared to 2009-2012, and TOP programme marketing rights.
Furthermore, in a sign of the continuing appeal of the Olympic Games and  
the Olympic values, partnership agreements for the eighth edition of the  
TOP programme (TOP VIII), covering the 2013-2016 Olympiad, increased to  
over USD 1 billion, which represents a 5.6 per cent growth compared to the 
previous TOP programme (TOP VII).
90%
Distribution, Olympic 
Games, promotion of 
Olympic Movement 
10%
IOC activities to 
develop sport and 
operations of the IOC 
Figure 6: IOC revenue distribution
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IOC financial position at 31 December 2017 remains strong. IOC current 
assets stand at USD 2.9 billion, while non-current assets stand at  
USD 1.2 billion. Cash and other financial assets, totalling USD 3.6 billion, 
represent 87 per cent of the IOC’s total financial position. The IOC’s total 
liabilities of USD 2.1 billion represent 50 per cent of its total financial position. 
This is more than fully covered by the IOC’s current assets, as well as its  
fund balances. This shows the IOC’s overall financial health and long-term 
sustainability. The IOC’s fund balance stands at USD 2.1 billion, which represents 
50 per cent of its total financial position. Of the fund balances, 73 per cent are 
undesignated to cover the expenditures and contributions planned during non-
Olympic Games years where no Games revenue will be recognised, as well  
as for the Olympic Foundation as part of the IOC’s risk management strategy. 
Figure 8: IOC combined statements of financial position at 21 December 2017 (USD 000)
ASSET
TOTAL 
4 139 118
Current assets
Current liabilities
Non-current liabilities
Fund balances
TOTAL 
2 053 144
TOTAL 
2 085 974
LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCES
Non-current 
assets
2 934 194
1 131 677
2 085 974
921 467
1 204 924
Figure 7: IOC revenue 2013-2016
Source: IOC’s audited financial statements
73%
Broadcasting rights
5%
Other revenue
4%
Other rights
18%
TOP programme marketing rights
The IOC designated fund, at 27 per cent of total fund balances, is designated for 
the financing of Olympic Solidarity’s annual programmes in order to secure financial 
assistance for the NOCs, as well as for financial assistance to the Olympic Movement 
through the Olympic Movement Fund.
Additional information on our financial performance is provided in the IOC Annual 
Report 2017 (pages 106 to 110), including details on the distribution of IOC revenue 
towards different organisations throughout the Olympic Movement, as well as  
IOC various activities, projects and programmes aimed at supporting the staging 
of the Olympic Games and promoting the worldwide development of sport and the 
Olympic Movement. Further information on generating economic value in relation  
to the Olympic Games is provided in Chapter 4 – The IOC as Owner of the Olympic 
Games, pages 60-77. 
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Stakeholder engagement and partnerships 
The breadth and magnitude of the 40 recommendations that make up Olympic 
Agenda 2020 have prompted the IOC to reach out and collaborate in a more 
proactive and encompassing manner than in the past. This approach has resulted 
in new working relationships, partnerships and contractual agreements across the 
IOC’s diverse responsibilities. 
Our approach to identifying stakeholders – beyond our core constituency of the 
Olympic Movement – was based on the following:
•	organisations with an international remit;
•	organisations that had previously approached us on sustainability matters;
•	organisations with whom we already had a relationship (e.g. UN agencies);
•	international NGOs based in the Lausanne/Geneva area (e.g. IUCN, the World 
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International); and
•	other stakeholders recommended to us via any of the above.
This is not a closed exercise and we continue to open dialogue with organisations 
new to us, either through emerging issues or by networking contacts at international 
forums, conferences and workshops. Our approach has also enabled existing 
relationships to be strengthened and grown.
A good example of this is the long-standing relationship between the IOC and 
the UN system. The UN recognises the contribution of sport for development  
and peace, and collaboration between the IOC and UN secretariat, as well as 
various UN agencies and programmes, has played a central role in spreading  
the acceptance of sport as a means to promote internationally agreed  
development goals.
Appendix 1 provides an overview of the key stakeholders with which we interact  
on topics related to environmental responsibility, social responsibility and ethics,  
and the key topics addressed during the reporting period. It also sets out the  
nature of our relationship with each organisation and summarises key activities. 
Specific details on key partnerships are addressed in Chapters 3-5, pages 41-97.
Challenges and lessons learned
Introducing sustainability as an overt theme into an established organisation  
is always challenging. It has become common practice among major  
corporations over the last couple of decades but is not so widespread in  
the voluntary sector.
Sustainability teams in all organisations face barriers such as overcoming  
resistance to change and concerns that sustainability is more expensive and  
not central to their purpose. Even in non-profit organisations with a mission to 
create social good, the introduction of a sustainability programme can be viewed  
as an intrusion into an established order.
In the case of the IOC, whose mission is to contribute to a better world through 
sport, among the greatest challenges we have had to overcome has been to 
convince colleagues that sustainability is relevant to their area, that it is much more 
than an environmental add-on and that it is relevant to everything the IOC does – 
not just the Olympic Games.
People more readily grasp the concept of Games legacy, as it relates in part to 
the tangible outcomes of each edition of the Olympic Games. However, the more 
process-based approach to sustainability as a way of working that ultimately 
enables legacy goals to be achieved seems to be less intuitive.
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Despite the evident leadership commitment and the explicit recommendations 
of Olympic Agenda 2020, it is wrong to assume that everyone understands 
sustainability and is on board. What we have learned from this process is the 
prime importance of internal engagement and awareness raising. It requires 
continual, proactive effort, more than we had originally anticipated. Our internal 
network of “sustainability coordinators” in key departments has proved to be 
crucial to advancing our programme.
We had also intended to be more visibly active with external audiences to build 
awareness of what the IOC has been doing in the sustainability field and how 
this work relates to the wider sport sector. Despite several attempts, it has 
proven difficult fill a vacancy for a Sustainability and Legacy Communications 
Manager. However, this role has now been appointed and the new manager 
joined the IOC in October 2018.
“As the role and relevance of sport in society continues  
to grow, the IOC is determined to live up to its 
responsibility to build a sustainable future for everyone.  
In a world that is more interdependent than ever before, 
we know that we can only make progress in cooperation 
and partnership with others.”
Thomas Bach, IOC President
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IOC Sustainability Report
Introduction
THE IOC AS  
AN ORGANISATION 
CHAPTER 3

42 
Scope
This sphere of our Sustainability Strategy is a direct response to 
Recommendation 5 of Olympic Agenda 2020, which states (in part):
… The IOC to embrace sustainability principles:  
The IOC to include sustainability in its day-to-day operations  
 
• The IOC to include sustainability in its procurement of goods  
and services, as well as events organisation (meetings,  
conferences, etc.). 
• The IOC to reduce its travel impact and offset its carbon emissions. 
• The IOC to apply the best possible sustainability standards for the 
consolidation of its headquarters in Lausanne… 
This sphere of responsibility encompasses the activities of approximately  
790 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in Lausanne, Switzerland and Madrid, 
Spain, and the management of 11 buildings (nine in Lausanne, two in Madrid),  
of which three are warehouses (two in Lausanne, one in Madrid). Further details 
on employees and buildings are provided in Appendix 3, pages 105-112.
Rationale
Although the main sustainability impacts related to the IOC are associated 
with the Olympic Games and the wider practice of sport across the Olympic 
Movement, it is still important to consider sustainability in our day-to-day  
work as an organisation. This is part and parcel of being a responsible 
organisation and leading by example. It also fulfils the pledge of credibility  
towards our staff, our partners and our other stakeholders expressed in  
Olympic Agenda 2020.
This credibility comes not simply from “doing our bit”, but also from the way  
we gain experience and learn from our sustainability activities so that we can 
improve the support we give to our partners.
Progress against objectives
Nine of the 18 objectives for 2020 set out in our Sustainability Strategy directly 
relate to the IOC as an organisation. Eight of these correspond to the five focus 
areas of our Strategy, and the ninth (“include sustainability in corporate events”)  
is a cross-cutting objective that has elements related to each of our focus areas 
as indicated in the figure on the following page.
The IOC as an organisation 
The “IOC as an organisation” sphere of responsibility covers the activities that  
are directly controlled by the IOC and that are related to the organisation’s daily 
operations. This includes, in particular: buildings management; procurement and  
travel activities; people management; organisation of corporate events such as the  
IOC Session and the Commission meetings; use of IOC media and communication 
channels; management of broadcasting, sponsorship and marketing rights; and the 
activities of The Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
From the IOC Sustainability Strategy, first published January 2017
IOC Sustainability Report
Chapter 3: The IOC as an organisation

O1: Design and 
construction of future 
Olympic House to be 
certified according  
to nationally and 
internationally recognised 
sustainability standards*
O2: Increase energy 
efficiency of our buildings
O3: Integrate 
sustainability in the 
sourcing of goods  
and services,  
including those from 
TOP Partners and 
official licensees*
O4: Achieve a  
measurable reduction  
in waste quantities
O5: Reduce the  
IOC’s travel impact 
(business travel for  
IOC staff, Members 
and guests;  
vehicle fleet; staff 
commuting; freight)*
O6: Further increase 
staff diversity,  
in particular with 
regard to gender and 
geographical diversity
O7: As part of  
IOC@work2020, 
further develop a 
wellness programme 
to promote healthy  
and active lifestyles  
at the IOC
O8: Achieve carbon 
neutrality by reducing 
direct and indirect 
GHG emissions, and 
by compensating 
emissions as  
a last resort*
O9: Include 
sustainability  
in corporate events*
43 
Figure 9: The IOC as an organisation – nine objectives by 2020
CROSS-CUTTING
* Objectives specifically mentioned in Olympic Agenda 2020
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For some objectives, progress is described separately for our operations based  
in Lausanne and Madrid. “Lausanne operations” refer to the IOC headquarters, 
The Olympic Museum and all other IOC entities as listed in Chapter 2 (see page 
25), while “Madrid operations” refer to the activities of Olympic Broadcasting 
Services (OBS) and Olympic Channel Services (OCS).
While the same sustainability objectives are pursued across all our locations, there 
are slight differences in management approaches and data collection methods. 
The management processes for Lausanne and Madrid will become more 
integrated in the future as we develop common management systems, which  
will facilitate the consolidation of sustainability data for subsequent reports.
Objective 1: Design and construction of future Olympic House to 
be certified according to nationally and internationally 
recognised sustainability standards 
Olympic House will be the new IOC headquarters building. It is currently under 
construction in Lausanne and is due to be completed in 2019.
The building is on track to achieve the three targeted sustainability standards:
•	the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard, the most 
widely used green building standard in the world; 
•	the Minergie-P label, a Swiss label on energy efficient buildings; and
•	the Swiss Sustainable Construction Standard (SNBS), a newly created 	
 
standard for sustainable construction launched in 2016, for which Olympic 
House has been a pilot project. 
In line with the requirements of the three sustainability standards, numerous 
sustainability features have been integrated in the design and construction of  
the building:
•	Energy saving features, including efficient building insulation, LED lighting,  
heat recovery systems and smart building devices.
•	On-site renewable energy production, including solar panels on the roof and 
heat pumps using lake water.
•	Water-saving features, including efficient sanitary equipment and the selection 
of native plant species with moderate watering needs.
•	The collection and reuse of rainwater for toilet flushes, irrigation and car washes. 
•	A vegetated roof and a landscaping plan that integrate biodiversity 
enhancement measures.
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•	The reuse and recycling of deconstruction materials – 97 per cent (by weight) 
of materials from the former building has been reused or recycled, including 
12,000 tonnes of concrete that was crushed on site and recycled into the 
foundations of the new building.
•	Over 75 per cent of waste produced during the construction works has been 
reused or recycled.
•	Construction materials, equipment, finishing materials and furniture items  
meet strict environmental criteria, such as low contents of potentially  
harmful substances.
•	Wooden products used in construction are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-
certified and thus traceable to sustainably managed forests.
•	A total of 135 bicycle parking spaces: 10 for visitors and 125 for staff, knowing 
that the building is designed to accommodate approximately 600 employees.
•	Dedicated parking spaces for electric cars: 23 spaces in the 200-space 
underground car park to be equipped with charging stations.
•	Strict health and safety rules have applied on the construction site, where up to 
300 workers have been present at peak times (six lost-time injuries have been 
recorded since the start of the construction works).
•	Accessibility features for disabled persons: all floors are accessible by 
wheelchairs, adapted bathrooms are available on each floor, adapted showers 
will be provided and six car spaces are reserved for disabled people.
•	Around 70 per cent of construction costs spent with suppliers based within  
a 50-kilometre radius of the site.
For more information on the Olympic House project, please see olympic.org.
Objective 2: Increase energy efficiency of our buildings
Two main actions have been initiated to increase the energy efficiency of our 
buildings: an energy management system has been implemented in the  
OBS-OCS buildings in Madrid, and an energy audit is being performed at  
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
OBS and OCS buildings in Madrid 
Energy management was identified as the most significant sustainability topic 
for the activities of OBS and OCS, which are highly dependent on electrical and 
electronic equipment to deliver their services. Taking advantage of their move to a 
new office building and warehouse in 2016, OBS and OCS decided to implement 
an energy management system to increase their energy efficiency. The renovation 
works performed in their new office building already integrated several energy 
efficiency features:
•	LED lighting; 
•	solar filters on windows to reduce heating and cooling needs; 
•	installation of motion sensors and natural light sensors; and 
•	installation of energy meters in different areas of the building to provide  
accurate monitoring and analysis of energy use. 
97 per cent (by weight) of materials from the  
former building has been reused or recycled, 
including 12,000 tonnes of concrete that  
was crushed on site and recycled into the 
foundations of the new building.”
“
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The energy management system was certified according to the ISO 50001 
standard in 2016 (warehouse) and 2017 (office building). In parallel, OBS and  
OCS implemented an environmental management system, which obtained  
the ISO 14001 certification in 2016 (warehouse) and 2017 (office building).  
The office building also obtained the LEED Operation & Maintenance certification 
(Gold level) in 2018.
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne 
Under Swiss energy law, The Olympic Museum is classed as a large energy 
user, which means it must undergo an energy audit and implement an energy 
efficiency action plan. This plan must address the areas for improvement 
identified by the audit and agreed with the local authorities. 
The energy audit was performed in two stages in 2017-2018 and identified a few 
areas for improvement. An action plan is now being developed with the support 
of an energy specialist. Since various energy-saving measures had already 
been implemented during the renovation of the Museum in 2011-2013 (such as 
LED lighting, smart building devices, upgrades of the pumping station and heat 
pumps, and the removal of escalators in the park), the action plan will focus on 
small-scale operational optimisation measures. 
Although The Olympic Museum is a large energy user, part of its energy  
comes from on-site and off-site renewable energy sources. It is equipped  
with three on-site heat pumps using lake water and thermal solar panels  
on the roof, and 90 per cent of electricity purchased from the grid is from  
certified renewable energy sources.
For further data on energy use, see Appendix 3, page 105.
Objective 3: Integrate sustainability into the sourcing of goods  
and services, including those from TOP Partners and  
official licensees
Lausanne  
In 2017, the IOC entities based in Lausanne purchased goods and services from 
approximately 2,500 suppliers, of which 54 per cent are based in Switzerland and 
34 per cent in the canton of Vaud in which Lausanne is located. Procurement 
from Swiss suppliers represented approximately 53 per cent of the total spend  
in goods and services. The top three spending areas in 2017 were IT services, 
travel and the construction of Olympic House.
In 2017, as a first step towards implementing our sustainable sourcing approach,  
we reviewed our spending categories to enable us to identify priority categories  
to be targeted in the future. We ranked our spend categories according to  
three criteria: annual spend; environmental and social risks associated with  
the product/service; and reputational risk based on the visibility of the  
product/service.
As we are currently revising our procurement processes, sustainability principles 
are being progressively integrated along with the development of these new 
processes. The new role of Procurement Manager was created in 2018 to 
coordinate the development and implementation of these new processes. 
The newly developed IOC Supplier Code sets out our expectations from our 
suppliers with regard to social and environmental responsibility. This code  
will be binding for new registered suppliers. In the coming months, we will also 
require our existing supplier base to commit to complying with the Supplier Code 
by signing a formal declaration. 
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We have also developed internal sustainable sourcing guidelines to help IOC staff 
in charge of procurement to integrate environmental and social responsibility 
matters in their decisions. These guidelines are complemented by detailed 
ecological and social responsibility criteria covering 20 categories of goods 
and services. These mandatory and recommended criteria help buyers make 
informed decisions when selecting products and services. 
We have started to evaluate our suppliers’ environmental and social responsibility, 
focusing on three supplier categories: gifts and promotional products; catering 
services; and food. This is done through questionnaires, information requests and 
face-to-face discussions. Overall, this preliminary evaluation revealed numerous 
good practices from our suppliers (see box on the previous page) and a few areas 
for improvement that are giving rise to the development of action plans with the 
concerned suppliers. This evaluation will continue over the coming years along 
with the development of the overall IOC suppliers’ evaluation procedure.
•	All construction materials, equipment and furniture 
for Olympic House: detailed sustainability criteria are 
imposed in order to meet the LEED, Minergie-P and 
SNBS standards
•	Installation of LED light bulbs to reduce energy use
•	Printing paper: certified according to EU Ecolabel and  
FSC mix
•	Printing services for institutional publications: ISO 14001 
certified printers using FSC- or Programme for the 
Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)-certified paper
•	Pens with Olympic branding: made in Switzerland
•	IOC’s main catering supplier: follows the international 
standard for Social Responsibility (ISO 26000:2010) 
and has agreed to meet a set of five objectives for its 
operations at the IOC:
•	Food sourcing to include at least 85 per cent of products from 
responsible supply chains, with at least 50% of farm products 
from organic farming or IP Suisse label
•	Food sourcing to include at least 50 per cent local products
•	Food waste to be reduced by 40 per cent per meal between  
2017 and 2020
•	Finished product packaging and disposable tableware to be 
reduced by 20 per cent per meal between 2017 and 2020
•	Vegetarian offer to be increased by 2020
•	Plastic materials used in catering and disposable 
tableware: oil-based plastic materials replaced by  
plant-based plastic materials (PLA)
•	Customer bags at The Olympic Museum shop have  
been changed for more resistant bags that can be  
reused several times
•	The Olympic Museum shop: postcards and posters 
printed in Switzerland on FSC-certified paper
•	Mail services: The IOC pays a premium to have  
all its shipments of packages and letters  
handled by DHL and La Poste certified as  
“carbon neutral”
Examples of sustainable sourcing in action 
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Madrid  
In 2017, OBS and OCS purchased goods and services from approximately  
1,350 suppliers, 25 per cent of which are based in Spain. The top three  
spending areas included IT, external services and facilities.
OBS and OCS include a generic sustainability clause in their standard terms 
and conditions. This informs suppliers about their obligations in regard to social 
and environmental responsibility. Following the implementation of the ISO 14001 
environmental management system and the ISO 50001 energy management 
system, ecological criteria are being progressively integrated in procurement 
decisions: for example, in the procurement of LED light bulbs to minimise energy 
use; the procurement of printing paper that is 100 per cent recycled, chlorine-free 
and carries the Blue Angel label and/or the EU Ecolabel; and the procurement of 
cleaning products with the EU Ecolabel.
The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme 
The TOP programme is the worldwide sponsorship programme managed by  
the IOC. The programme provides each of the 13 TOP Partners with exclusive 
global marketing rights and opportunities within a designated product or  
service category. 
We have engaged with the TOP Partners to encourage them to deliver goods and 
services that reflect best practice from a sustainability viewpoint and that help us 
to deliver our Sustainability Strategy.
A due diligence questionnaire was developed in 2017 to formalise the 
performance review of potential new TOP Partners with regard to social and 
environmental responsibility and ethical business conduct.
Official IOC licensees
Official IOC licensees include companies that market and manufacture products, 
merchandise and souvenirs that promote the Olympic values. Typically, in this 
sector many products are manufactured in countries with varying levels of labour 
standards and therefore can potentially create reputational risks for the IOC, 
especially given that these are branded products.
Accordingly, we have added a new clause on social and environmental 
responsibility to the standard contract with our licensees, which applies to all  
new contracts established since January 2017. Clauses on environmental 
responsibility have also been included in the latest version of the IOC Licensing 
Guidelines for new product development (to be issued by the end of 2018).  
The IOC Supplier Code and IOC Sustainable Sourcing Criteria have applied to 
official IOC licensees since mid-2018 onwards.
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49 
Objective 4: Achieve a measurable reduction in waste quantities
Lausanne  
A four-year action plan on waste reduction is being implemented for the  
IOC entities based in Lausanne. The action plan covers five key waste streams  
for which a potential for further waste reduction, reuse and/or recycling has  
been identified: 
•	plastic waste; 
•	food waste;  
•	electronic waste;  
•	waste from events/exhibitions; and  
•	paper/publications. 
In 2017 and 2018, the focus has been placed on plastic and food waste.
The figure overleaf provides an overview of waste management at the IOC. 
The objective of our four-year action plan is to move up the waste management 
hierarchy as much as possible: preventing waste, maximising reuse and recycling, 
and minimising incineration and landfilling.
Madrid  
As part of the ISO 14001 management system, a comprehensive waste inventory 
and waste reduction action plan have been developed. Actions implemented to 
date include: a reduction of disposable supplies by, for example, encouraging 
staff to use reusable water bottles rather than single-use bottles, and personal 
mugs rather than disposable cups; the transformation of paper-based processes 
into e-processes; an improved segregation of waste streams to facilitate recycling; 
and internal communication and awareness-raising actions on waste reduction 
and recycling. 
For further data on waste management, see Appendix 3, page 106.
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Figure 10: Waste management at the IOC (Lausanne-based entities)
$
For example:
•	 Paper waste prevention:  
FollowYou printers, e-invoicing solution, digitalisation of publications  
(e.g. visit guides for teachers at the Olympic Museum)
 
•	 Plastic packaging waste prevention:  
Washable lunch boxes 
•	 Food waste prevention:  
Discounts offered on some food leftovers
For example:
•	 Old PCs:  
Donated as part of IOC’s social development programmes
•	 Leftover casual uniforms:  
	 Donated to charities and associations
•	 Olympic Museum’s exhibition materials: 
-	 Increasing number of mobile exhibitions that can travel from one 
museum to another
-	 Part of materials (e.g. wooden panels) donated to local organisations 
and small businesses
Separate collection and recycling of:
•	 Paper and cardboard
•	 PET bottles
•	 Glass
•	 Metal
•	 Wood
•	 Food waste
•	 Nespresso capsules
•	 Electronic equipment
•	 Printing toners
•	 Formal uniforms
All other waste produced in Lausanne is incinerated (with energy 
recovery), including:
•	 Office stationery
•	 Disposable cups, cutlery and napkins
•	 Tea bags
•	 Plastic packaging other than PET bottles
•	 Non-recyclable materials for events and exhibitions  
(e.g. carpet)
Some materials from IOC corporate events taking place in countries where landfilling is the only available option (carpets, banners, badges,  
plastic packaging, etc.)
WASTE 
REDUCTION
REUSE
RECYCLING
INCINERATION
LANDFILLING
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Objective 5: Reduce the IOC’s travel impact 
This objective relates to business travel for IOC Members, IOC staff and guests; 
vehicle fleet operations; staff commuting; and freight.
Business travel 
Business travel is by far the largest contributor to the IOC’s carbon footprint, 
representing between 60 and 80 per cent of our emissions (this proportion varies 
year on year). We have introduced a number of measures to reduce our travel 
impacts, but certain impacts are unavoidable due to the choice of locations for 
the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and corporate events  
such as IOC Sessions.
The following actions have already been put in place to optimise our  
business trips:
•	Grouping of meetings to reduce travel needs. For example, since 2015 most of 
the IOC Commissions’ annual meetings have been grouped during the same 
time period in Lausanne. A total of 21 Commission/Board meetings have taken 
place within seven days, with more than 50 of the almost 250 participants 
attending several meetings. This has resulted in a 25 per cent reduction in the 
number of return flights associated with these meetings compared to before.
•	Increased use of videoconferencing systems.
•	The travel policy gives preference to the most direct itineraries, unless the price 
of the tickets is outside the authorised price range.
•	All staff travel to/from Paris in relation to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 must be 
done by rail.
In 2017, as part of the revision of the travel policy for Lausanne staff, sustainability 
principles were included in order to highlight the need to consider alternatives to 
travel before booking a trip. A similar clause exists in the OBS-OCS travel policy, 
which also favours airlines with modern, low-emission aircraft fleets.
Carbon footprint information is being integrated into our new online travel-booking 
tool for Lausanne-based staff. The tool will provide carbon footprint data for 
different travel options and will display the carbon footprint of each traveller.  
As well as providing useful data, this tool is expected to be a good way to raise 
staff awareness of climate impacts from travel and to encourage them to optimise 
their travel needs. OBS/OCS operations in Madrid are also considering the 
implementation of a new online travel-booking system that could generate  
carbon data. 
Business travel is by far the largest contributor to 
the IOC’s carbon footprint, representing between 
60 and 80 per cent of our emissions.”
“
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Chapter 3: The IOC as an organisation

Average 
carbon 
intensity  
of the fleet 
52 
Local mobility 
The vast majority of local trips consist of train trips by IOC staff between 
Lausanne and Geneva Airport.
The IOC owns a fleet of vehicles used for logistics purposes and to provide some 
transportation services to IOC Members, staff and guests (see Figure 11, right). 
For large events, additional vehicles may be rented.
With Toyota, a TOP Partner, we are seeking to reduce the carbon intensity of our 
vehicle fleet at each renewal of the fleet (every two years). The previous renewal 
of the vehicle fleet in Lausanne, in 2016, was accompanied by a 20 per cent 
reduction in the overall carbon intensity of the fleet.
OBS also owns three hybrid vehicles that are used for their operations at the 
Olympic Games. These are supplemented by local rental services in the host 
cities for other transportation requirements, including motorbikes, helicopters, 
boats and additional cars.
Number  
of vehicles
Lausanne
Madrid
51
3
30 are service vehicles and 21 are cars  
for directors and the IOC President
2 minivans (one electric)  
and 1 director’s car
130g CO2/km	
159g CO2/km	
ranging from 75g CO2/km  
to 258g CO2/km (small truck)
2 petrol vehicles + 1 electric van
Fuel use 
Lausanne
Madrid
29,320 
litres  
of petrol
4,310  
litres  
of petrol
2016
Lausanne
Madrid
29,204  
litres  
of petrol
2,832 
litres  
of petrol
2017
Figure 11: IOC fleet vehicles and fuel data
Lausanne
Madrid
Key figures on air travel in 2017
•	Round trips by plane per full-time equivalent (FTE): 3.5
•	Total distance travelled by plane (all trips paid by the IOC, including IOC Members, 
staff, guests and experts): over 70 million kilometres
•	Air travel-related carbon footprint per employee: 14t CO2e
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Staff commuting 
We encourage staff to use sustainable transportation modes for their daily 
commuting (walking, cycling, public transport). This is done by subsidising  
either public transportation or the purchase of a bicycle, and by providing  
bicycle storage spaces, changing rooms and showers at our offices. As a  
result, more than half of IOC staff use sustainable transportation modes for  
their daily commutes.
The current modal split is as follows:
 
Lausanne
A new local mobility plan is being developed to anticipate the changes associated 
with the move to Olympic House in 2019. This will emphasise alternative travel 
modes and active mobility for workforce commuting to/from the office and trips 
within Switzerland of workforce and visitors on IOC business. As described under 
Objective 1 (see pages 44-45), the new building will include:
 
•	135 bicycle parking spaces: 10 for visitors and 125 for staff, knowing that the 
building is designed to accommodate approximately 600 employees.
•	Dedicated parking spaces for electric cars: 23 spaces in the 200-space 
underground car park to be equipped with charging stations.
 
 
Madrid
To further encourage employees to cycle to work, 20 bicycle parking spaces were 
installed during the renovation of the headquarters in 2017. A cycling tour was 
organised for employees willing to learn how to cycle safely in town. To promote 
the use of low-emission cars, 10 charging stations for electric cars were installed 
in the car park during the renovation of the headquarters in 2017. Following these 
actions, three employees bought electric cars and several others have started to 
use bicycles or electric bicycles to go to and from work.
16% 
Walking  
and cycling
18% 
Walking  
and cycling
2% 
Carpooling  
and motorbikes
3% 
Carpooling 
36% 
Public 
transport
32% 
Public 
transport
46% 
Individual  
cars
47% 
Individual  
cars and 
motorbikes
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54 
•	 Gender balance in the upper levels of management  
While women outnumber men by almost 2:1 at manager level, the opposite 
occurs at senior manager level. The gap widens further at Director and Executive 
Board level. However, progress was made between 2016 and 2017: the 
proportion of women on the IOC Commissions increased from 33 per cent to 38 
per cent, and continued to increase to reach 43 per cent in 2018; the proportion 
of women on the IOC Board of Directors increased from 19 per cent to 25 per 
cent, and continued to increase to reach 29 per cent in 2018. During the same 
period, the proportion of women in senior management roles in Lausanne 
increased from 36 per cent to 38 per cent, while remaining stable in Madrid.
•	 Geographical diversity reflecting all five continents 
The majority of staff come from European countries, and this remains  
the case among recent recruits, both in Lausanne and Madrid. Although this 
can be expected given our geographical locations, as a global organisation 
operating worldwide, the fact that other continents are less represented among 
our personnel is an area for improvement.
To advance further on the topic of gender equality, we launched the comprehensive 
Gender Equality Review Project in 2017, covering key aspects of gender equality 
within the Olympic Movement such as sport, funding, portrayal, governance and 
human resources. This review gave rise to the publication of 25 recommendations 
validated by the IOC Executive Board in February 2018 (see also pages 33-34).
Freight 
The largest volumes of freight are for the Olympic Games and the IOC Sessions, 
of which there is always one per year plus occasional extraordinary Sessions. 
The environmental footprint of our freight is therefore largely determined by the 
locations of these events, as this influences distances travelled and the availability 
of materials that can be rented or bought locally. 
Shipped materials include IOC Session room furniture, electronic equipment that 
cannot be rented locally, printed publications, uniforms, office consumables, gifts 
and give-aways. Several measures are taken to optimise freight and reduce its 
environmental impact:
•	Sea freight is given preference over air freight, wherever possible 
•	Leftovers of office consumables, uniforms and give-aways are donated to  
local associations to avoid shipping them back
•	Since 2017, documents for IOC Sessions and Executive Board meetings, of 
which there are usually at least four per year, are available online in order to 
reduce quantities of shipped documents
For further data on freight, see Appendix 3, page 107.
Objective 6: Further increase staff diversity, in particular with regard  
to gender and geographical diversity
Overall, the composition of our staff already reflects a good diversity in terms 
of gender balance (55 per cent of female staff) and nationalities (54 different 
nationalities in Lausanne, 60 in Madrid). There are, however, two main areas  
for improvement:
The proportion of women on the IOC Board of  
Directors increased from 19 per cent to 25 per  
cent, before going on to reach 29 per cent in 2018.”
“
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Gender equality and diversity are two important topics that are part of the 
IOC’s People Management 2020 programme, which was launched in 2017. 
The programme aims to modernise the IOC’s human resources management 
function, boost employee engagement and positively influence the culture  
of the IOC. The recommendations of the Gender Equality Review Project  
will be embedded in this overall programme, the implementation of which is 
overseen by the IOC Human Resources Committee. For further details on 
employment statistics, including the diversity of staff and governance bodies,  
see Appendix 3, pages 108-111.
Objective 7: As part of IOC@work2020, further develop a wellness 
programme to promote healthy and active lifestyles at the IOC
As an organisation dedicated to promoting health through sport and active 
lifestyles, we provide numerous incentives to our staff to exemplify this in their 
daily lives. This includes a large range of sports activities, subsidies for sport-
related expenses, healthy food options, nutritional advice, subsidies for active  
and sustainable commuting practices, participation in the Bike-to-Work challenge 
in Lausanne and other measures to promote a good work-life balance.
As part of our People Management 2020 programme and the ongoing 
construction of Olympic House, we plan to go one step further to reflect the IOC’s 
commitment to promoting active lifestyles in society. In this context, ergonomic 
and active lifestyle concepts have been fully integrated into the design of Olympic 
House, including the office layout, the choice of furniture, user comfort, the  
in-house gym and the local mobility plan currently under development.
Objective 8: Achieve carbon neutrality by reducing direct and indirect 
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and by compensating 
emissions as a last resort
Carbon footprint measurement 
We have estimated our carbon footprint annually since 2014, including direct and 
indirect emission sources associated with the various IOC entities covered by the 
scope of this report. 
Our carbon footprint is largely dominated by travel activities. The magnitude of 
our carbon footprint thus varies considerably depending on whether an Olympic 
Games edition takes place during the reporting year or at the beginning of the 
next reporting year, and where it is located. The year-on-year changes are mostly 
driven by the activities of OBS, which are directly connected to the operational 
delivery of the Olympic Games and the YOG. Olympic Games years also  
generate increased travel from IOC staff and IOC Members, further adding to  
the annual footprint.
In Figure 12 overleaf, we present the detailed carbon footprint calculations for 
2016 and 2017. The former was an Olympic Games year, while 2017 was a non-
Games year. In 2017, carbon emissions from our business travel represented  
65 per cent of our total carbon footprint. Within the category labelled “other”, two 
of the three largest components – freight and accommodation – are also related 
to travel and transport. Although 2017 was a non-Olympic Games year, carbon 
emissions from freight remained relatively high compared to 2016 (a Games year) 
due to the shipment of materials to South Korea in preparation for the Olympic 
Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, and – to a lesser extent – to the 131st IOC 
Session in Lima, Peru. Another key contributor to the IOC’s 2017 carbon footprint 
was the construction of our new headquarters building in Lausanne.
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For further details on the carbon footprint, see Appendix 1, pages 99-102.
Carbon reduction plan 
The carbon emissions over which we have the highest level of control are the 
emissions from our buildings’ energy use and from our vehicles. These account 
for a small proportion of our overall carbon footprint, due to the magnitude of our 
business travel emissions and the relatively low carbon intensity of the energy that 
we use in Switzerland. Despite this, we are striving to reduce these emissions 
even further through the integration of numerous low carbon measures in the 
construction of Olympic House (see pages 44-45) and further energy efficiency 
improvement measures in existing buildings (see pages 45-46). Our carbon 
reduction plan also involves reducing the carbon intensity of our vehicle fleet at 
Figure 12: IOC detailed carbon footprint for 2016 and 2017
each renewal of the fleet (every two years) with the support of Toyota, a TOP 
Partner. The previous renewal (in 2016) was accompanied by a 20 per cent 
reduction in the overall carbon intensity of the fleet.
Steps taken to reduce our indirect emissions include the following actions:
•	optimising our business travel needs (see pages 51-52); 
•	promoting sustainable mobility options for staff home-work commuting  
(see pages 52-53);
•	favouring the sourcing of low-carbon goods and services through the  
new sustainable sourcing approach (see pages 46-48); and
•	reducing, reusing or recycling our waste (see pages 49-50).
65%
Travel
Total footprint for 2017  
46,000t CO2e
The Olympic Museum shop sales
Printing services procured by IOC entities
Office supplies & materials1
The Olympic Museum exhibition materials
Gifts1
Waste produced by IOC entities
Fuel for vehicles owned by IOC entities
External data centres’ energy use
Food & beverage consumed on IOC premises
IT/audiovisual equipment1
Uniforms2
Employee commuting to/from work
Hotel (nights, food/beverage)2
Energy for buildings occupied by IOC entities
Freight arranged by IOC entities
Construction of Olympic House
Other
1 000
4 000
2 000
5 000
7 000
3 000
6 000
8 000
2016
Sources other than business travel
2016
2017
2017
35%
1 Bought by IOC entities
2 Bought/paid for by the IOC for  
IOC Members, staff, experts and guests
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Carbon compensation plan 
Our primary focus is to reduce carbon emissions. However, we recognise that 
our main source of impact, air travel, cannot be easily reduced in the current 
context and depends to a large extent on the locations of future Olympic 
Games. This means for the foreseeable future, we will still be responsible for a 
significant amount of travel-related carbon emissions, hence the need to consider 
meaningful carbon compensation options. 
In September 2017 we concluded a carbon mitigation agreement with Dow, a 
TOP Partner, which has pioneered innovative carbon mitigation strategies for 
the Olympic Games. Through this agreement, which covers 2017-2020, Dow 
is implementing carbon-saving projects in the fields of industrial efficiency, 
transportation, infrastructure and materials recycling on a global scale. The 
savings generated by these projects are verified by an independent third party 
and allocated to the IOC with a view to balancing our carbon footprint over the 
2017-2020 period and enabling us to reach our goal of carbon neutrality.
Both sport and science have the power to bridge borders and cultures – to unite and inspire 
people and change lives. Through a game-changing collaboration, Dow and the IOC are using the 
platform of sport and the Olympic brand to catalyse action on climate change and help build a 
blueprint for a more sustainable future. 
As the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Movement, Dow has partnered with the 
Organising Committees of the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 and Olympic Games Rio 
2016, and now the IOC, to develop tailor-made carbon mitigation programs that address the 
technology needs of the regions in which they are implemented. Dow is working with customers, 
value chain partners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to introduce innovative low-
carbon technologies in the sectors of buildings and infrastructure, food and packaging, and 
manufacturing and energy. These mitigation projects create high-quality emission reductions to 
help balance the carbon footprint of the partner while at the same time accelerating the adoption 
of more sustainable technologies across different sectors and value chains.
The carbon mitigation programmes follow the principles outlined in Dow’s Climate Solutions 
Framework, a framework purposely built for these partnerships by Dow scientists together 
with external carbon experts. The Climate Solutions Framework allows event owners and 
organisations, in collaboration with partners, to implement a structured yet flexible approach 
to quantify and mitigate carbon footprints while also leaving a positive social and economic 
legacy. These mitigation projects go beyond the physical boundaries of the events or the 
organisation’s direct control, extending climate action to a global playing field. Through its  
carbon mitigation projects, Dow has already delivered to date 4.3 million tonnes of carbon  
dioxide equivalent (CO2e). By 2026, the reductions are projected to exceed 6 million tonnes  
of CO2e.
Further information on the carbon programmes and collaborations that Dow has launched as a 
result of their partnerships with the Olympic Games and with the IOC is contained in their recently 
published 2018 Dow Carbon Report, available by request.
Combining the power of sport and science for a more sustainable future
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Objective 9: Include sustainability in corporate events
The integration of sustainability into our events is a cross-cutting objective, as 
it builds on measures implemented across the five focus areas of the Strategy. 
The scope of this objective includes events where the organisation is directly 
managed by the IOC, such as IOC Executive Board meetings, the IOC Session, 
IOC Commission meetings, the Olympism in Action Forum and the operations of 
the Olympic Club during the Olympic Games. 
Our portfolio of corporate events takes in a wide variety of locations across 
the world. Inevitably this means there are often impacts related to travel and 
the freighting of equipment and materials, while at local levels we experience 
variability in the availability of local sustainable options for the sourcing of goods 
and services, and the availability of waste reuse and recycling options. Outside 
our home city of Lausanne, we are typically always selecting new venues for our 
events, which means assessing aspects such as accessibility, proximity to public 
transport services and accommodation.
In view of this geographical spread, we are developing processes and procedures 
to ensure that our approach to event management is as consistent as possible. 
This is being done in the form of an Event Sustainability Management System in 
accordance with the international standard ISO 20121:2012, the same standard 
that OCOGs are required to implement for the operation of the Olympic Games. 
Our objective is to be third-party certified to ISO 20121 by 2020. 
The implementation of our management system has led to specific actions being 
undertaken in 2017-2018:
•	Sustainability clauses have been included in the IOC organisation guidelines for 
the 2019 Session, which are part of the Host City Contract between the IOC  
and the Local Organising Committee. 
•	Sustainability training sessions were organised for the IOC Events team to help 
them integrate sustainability in their daily operations and decisions.
•	A sustainability action plan was implemented as part of the  
Olympism in Action Forum in Buenos Aires (October 2018).
•	The IOC sustainable sourcing approach has been developed and covers  
(among other categories) goods and services purchased for events.
The IOC Sustainability Policy and our Sustainability Strategy provide the context 
and basis for organisational roles, responsibilities and principles of operation that 
underpin our management system. Through the work of the Sustainability Unit, 
in collaboration with our Events team, we are establishing the necessary support 
structures and documentation processes. 
The main areas of the standard that are yet to be developed are in relation to 
with legal requirements’ inventory, operational management (in particular change 
control aspects), monitoring and performance evaluation, and setting up internal 
audit procedures.
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Challenges and lessons learned
This chapter presents the most specific and quantitative elements of this report.  
As with any large organisation, there are practical challenges associated with 
collecting reliable data, but the cyclical nature of our work makes it particularly 
hard to gather meaningful data within a single reporting period. The nature of the 
decisions to elect Olympic host cities in different parts of the world means that our 
travel and logistics footprints oscillate considerably, making the effects of any related 
sustainability measures harder to decipher. 
Furthermore, many aspects are not yet managed in a centralised manner across 
our different sites, which creates challenges in terms of data consolidation. Our 
move into the newly built Olympic House in 2019 will considerably help in this 
respect, but at present this means that some data relating to our current offices and 
operations will not provide the meaningful baseline we would have liked to establish. 
We should expect to see some significant improvements in energy efficiency 
and other resource consumption once we are installed in our new headquarters 
building, but it will be a few years before we see like-for-like trends that will truly 
inform our continual improvement goals. The difficulty to establish baseline data 
also affects our ability to define realistic and measurable quantitative targets in  
those areas.
The Sustainability Unit has organised workshops with a sample of colleagues 
to gain a better understanding of staff perceptions about sustainability. This has 
allowed us to identify and classify the most attractive and realistic benefits of 
the Sustainability Strategy, and we have used the results to inform our internal 
communication programme. The top three most attractive and realistic benefits  
for IOC staff were:
•	to be credible towards our partners; 
•	to be an agent for change (as an employee); and 
•	to reduce reputational risks by being proactive.
Our mantra that “sustainability is a shared responsibility” requires continual 
reinforcement. One of the most effective ways we have been able to spread  
our message has been through the IOC’s inter-departmental working group.  
This has helped make specific actions more tangible and relevant to the 
departments concerned, creating a greater sense of engagement among 
colleagues.
It is also important to always remind staff and suppliers that the measures we take 
for the IOC are fully aligned with the sustainability objectives for the Olympic Games 
and the Olympic Movement as a whole. This helps people to realise they are part of 
a bigger project that has a real potential to drive positive change.
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THE IOC AS OWNER  
OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES
CHAPTER 4

61 
Scope
This sphere of our Sustainability Strategy is a direct response to  
Recommendation 4 of Olympic Agenda 2020:
Include sustainability in all aspects of the Olympic Games 
The IOC to take a more proactive position and leadership role with regard to 
sustainability and ensure that it is included in all aspects of the planning and  
staging of the Olympic Games. 
•	 Develop a sustainability strategy to enable potential and actual Olympic 
Games organisers to integrate and implement sustainability measures  
that encompass economic, social and environmental spheres in all stages  
of their project; 
•	 Assist newly elected Organising Committees to establish the best possible 
governance for the integration of sustainability throughout the organisation; 
•	 The IOC to ensure post-Games monitoring of the Games legacy with the 
support of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and external organisations 
such as the World Union of Olympic Cities.
 
The IOC as owner of the Olympic Games
As owner of the Olympic Games, the IOC defines the product scope, scale, programme and 
operational requirements. We set and manage the Candidature Process, elect the host cities 
and set the contractual rules of engagement (Host City Contract). Following the host city 
election, our role is essentially one of contract management to oversee and support the work 
of the local Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (OCOG), while the real delivery of 
sustainability performance is the job of the host city and the OCOG.
From the IOC Sustainability Strategy, first published January 2017
Our approach to sustainability at the Olympic Games has two key elements.  
The first is our central managerial role of setting sustainability requirements, 
monitoring progress and providing technical support and guidance throughout 
the lifecycle of every Olympic Games – from the earliest stages of the Candidature 
Process through the planning and operational stages of the Games to the eventual 
dissolution of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) and 
the handover to legacy bodies. This role embraces all aspects of sustainability 
as defined in our Sustainability Strategy, including climate change, biodiversity, 
materials and waste management, stakeholder and community engagement,  
the supply chain and labour standards.
The second element is the practical delivery of Olympic Games operations through 
the work of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), which is owned by the IOC. 
Although this is not explicitly referenced in our Sustainability Strategy, we recognise 
that the activities and impacts of OBS is a material consideration with regard to 
delivering sustainable Olympic Games.
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62 
Rationale
Although the majority of sustainability actions relating to the Olympic Games  
are carried out by the OCOGs and their delivery partners, the IOC has influence  
in shaping the sustainability of the Games, both through the Candidature  
Process and our Games management processes. Our experience from previous 
Olympic Games, along with the technical expertise and guidance we can offer  
to candidature teams and OCOGs, can help shape sustainability outcomes for 
each edition of the Olympic Games, ensuring that sustainability is a normal way  
of working for all those responsible for delivering the Games.
In contrast, the role of OBS is very practical and has potential significant impacts 
in terms of resource use in the construction, operation and decommissioning of 
broadcast facilities, as well as on-the-ground activities in every competition venue 
and across the host cities. While the day-to-day activities of OBS and Olympic 
Channel Services (OCS) at their Madrid headquarters are captured in Chapter 3 
(see pages 42-59), it is also important to provide an account here of the on-site 
operations of OBS in the host cities.
Sustainability and Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm
To respond to recommendations within Olympic Agenda 2020, in February 2018  
a plan detailing 118 reforms that reimagined how the Olympic Games are delivered 
was presented to the IOC membership at its 132nd Session in PyeongChang, 
Republic of Korea, on the eve of the Olympic Winter Games.
Known as Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm, this plan has been designed 
to increase host cities’ flexibility in designing the Olympic Games to meet long-term 
development goals, and to ensure that host cities receive more assistance from  
the IOC and the wider Olympic Movement.
Central to the philosophy of Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm is the  
drive to reduce cost, complexity, risk and waste, while simultaneously achieving 
more positive value through flexibility, partnership, efficiency and sustainability. 
Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm recognises the essential role of 
sustainability as a basis for achieving strong legacy outcomes from the  
Olympic Games.
Our experience can help shape outcomes and 
ensure that sustainability is a normal way of 
working for those delivering the Olympic Games.”
“
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Fundamentally, Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm is about ensuring the 
Olympic Games are affordable, beneficial and sustainable. It addresses changes to 
the candidature phase all the way through to the post-Games legacy phase, and 
represents another step in the direction of implementing the Olympic Agenda 2020 
reforms and is entirely consistent with our Sustainability Strategy.
Through our reviews to the candidature and Games management requirements,  
as highlighted in Olympic Agenda – The New Norm, we have reduced the  
number of requirements and guarantees that must be submitted. These changes 
have reduced the scope of work and associated cost for Candidate Cities.  
The combined impact will mean easier, lower-cost candidatures and Olympic 
Games plans that are better for both the cities and the Olympic Movement.
Specific changes have been adopted in three principal areas: Games governance; 
Games requirements; and the IOC’s support to organisers. These changes are 
designed to increase collaborative working, with the IOC taking a more hands-on 
approach to working with Candidate Cities and OCOGs. 
The role of the IOC administration will therefore evolve to ensure increased presence 
with the OCOGs. This assistance is increasingly necessary – not only to assess 
risks and opportunities, but increasingly to guide the OCOGs in developing their 
plans and ensuring their implementation. This approach will be applied across all 
areas, including sustainability and legacy.
When it comes to Olympic Games requirements, one major focus has been to 
reduce complexity and its associated costs. Too often, the Games have been 
organised from scratch using bespoke solutions, which is an expensive and 
time-heavy model when the event industry can also supply readymade solutions. 
Likewise, International Federations (IFs) have knowledge about and experience 
of staging world-class sporting events, so it makes sense to increase their role in 
supporting Games organisers. 
Another efficiency will be to provide turnkey solutions to standard operational 
functions that are common across Games editions, instead of reinventing the wheel 
each time. This could apply to areas such as technology, cabling, venue planning, 
ticketing and other operational deliveries and opportunities.
When multiplied across the scale of the Olympic Games and combined with the 
associated space, energy, technology, staff and overhead savings, these changes 
should generate efficiencies and reduce programme delivery risk. Equally, they 
would result in lower resource consumption, less waste and consequently lower 
environmental impacts and carbon emissions.
Figure 13: Diagrammatic representation of Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm
GAMES 
=
DELIVERY
VALUE
– Cost
– Complexity
– Risk
– Waste
+ Flexibility
+ Partnership
+ Efficiency
+ Sustainability
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Timelines
Olympic Games projects take approximately a full decade, from the beginning of the Candidature Process through to the dissolution of the OCOG following  
the Games. This means at any one time, there may be three current OCOGs at different stages of planning for the Games, a Candidature Process in  
progress, Interested Cities considering future bids and recent host cities entering their legacy phase. Consequently, many of the strategic and technical 
changes introduced by the IOC will take a long time to be realised in full. 
Figure 14: Candidature Process for the Olympic Winter Games 2026
2017
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
IOC Session
Video  
conferences 
with interested 
cities
Video  
conference 
with  
interested 
cities
PyeongChang 
2018 observer 
programme 
(PyeongChang)
Interactive 
working 
session 
(on-site)
Candidature 
Procedure & 
Questionnaire
Dialogue Stage 
Cooperation 
Agreement
Working Group 
Project
Candidature 
File incl. Core 
Guarantee
Complete 
Guarantee File
Evaluation 
Commission 
Report
Interactive 
working 
session 
(on-site)
Official  
Debriefing 
PyeongChang 
2018 
Candidate 
City  
invitation
Expert visits 
and Evaluation 
Commiission 
visit
Q&A Session 
(via video 
conference)
Candidate 
City Briefing to 
IOC/IFs
Final  
Presentation 
and Host 
City Election
Preparation
Dialogue (Sep 2017 – Oct 2018)
Q&A Hub
Expert Support
Candidature (Oct 2018 – Sept 2019)
IOC Session
IOC Session
Deliverables
Milestones
Stages
2018
2019
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For example: when our Sustainability Strategy was approved by the Executive 
Board in December 2016 and published in January 2017, the Olympic Winter 
Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the Olympic 
Winter Games Beijing 2022 had all been awarded. Although the Candidature 
Process for the Olympic Games 2024 was nearing completion, the cities were  
able to benefit from the spirit and philosophy of Olympic Agenda 2020. As such,  
the new Candidature Process for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 is the first 
process for which both our Sustainability Strategy and Olympic Agenda 2020 - 
The New Norm will fully apply.
At the time the Strategy was published, our direction of travel towards more 
sustainable Games had been known for some while, and the Candidate Cities  
for the Olympic Games 2024 were already giving greater prominence to 
sustainability and legacy aspects. Nevertheless, the example given above does 
illustrate the challenge of introducing changes designed to influence processes  
that last around ten years. 
Please refer to the IOC Annual Report 2017 (page 59) for more information on  
the Candidature Process for the Olympic Winter Games 2026.
Progress against objectives
Four of the 18 objectives for 2020 in our Sustainability Strategy directly relate to 
the IOC as owner of the Olympic Games, and this chapter tracks our progress 
towards achieving them. Our long-term intent, as defined in our Sustainability 
Strategy, is to ensure the Olympic Games are at the forefront in the field of 
sustainability and the host cities can leverage the Games as a catalyst for their 
sustainable development.
Objective 10: Ensure sustainability is addressed as a strategic 
topic with cities as early as the Invitation Phase and 
throughout all phases of the Candidature Process
Candidature Process for the Olympic Games 2024
The Candidature Process for the Olympic Games 2024, which began in September 
2015, was the first full Candidature Process launched by the IOC since the adoption 
of Olympic Agenda 2020 in December 2014. Although it predates the publication 
of our Sustainability Strategy, this Candidature Process timeline mirrored much of 
the Strategy’s development phase, allowing us to inform and be fully engaged in the 
Candidature Process from the outset.
Specific sustainability elements in the Candidature Process included:
•	 Revisions to sustainability sections in candidature documentation: 
•	Candidate Questionnaire
•	Host City Contract Operational Requirements
•	 The inclusion of dedicated sessions on sustainability and legacy as part of 
regular one-to-one briefings to Candidate Cities (November 2015 and  
November 2016). These sessions allowed cities to receive an overview of  
the developing IOC Sustainability Strategy and our strategic legacy approach, as 
well as to discuss the sustainability and legacy-related aspects of their concepts.
Note: When our Sustainability Strategy was published, the first phase of the 
Candidature Process was known as the Invitation Phase. Following revisions for 
the Olympic Winter Games 2026, it is now known as the Dialogue Stage.
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•	 The presentation of targeted biodiversity and conservation-related materials 
to Candidate Cities at the first briefing in November 2015 from our partner, the 
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), drawing from the global 
database, the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT). In particular, this 
information was used to identify and avoid potential conflicts with designated 
protected natural and/or sensitive areas.
•	 Site visits to Candidate Cities by a sustainability technical expert after 
submission of the Candidature File and before the visit by the IOC Evaluation 
Commission in early 2017. Although Games Evaluation Commissions have 
featured an environmental/sustainability adviser ever since the Candidature 
Process for the Olympic Winter Games 2002 (which began in 1995), the  
2024 process was the first time that a technical specialist had been able to  
visit and interact directly with the Candidate City teams as part of the pre-
evaluation process. This enabled us to gain a clearer understanding of the  
key sustainability and legacy aspects of each Candidate City, and helped the 
cities to refine and clarify their plans.
•	 As had been the case in previous rounds, the attendance of the sustainability 
technical expert at the Evaluation Commission visits and working meetings 
during spring 2017, at the briefings to IOC Members in July 2017 and at the  
IOC Session in Lima, Peru, in September 2017, where the host city election 
took place.
•	 An increased emphasis on sustainability and legacy in the Evaluation 
Commission Report, which included a dedicated chapter covering the  
legacy use of new venues, sports development, sustainability, the impact  
on the natural environment, cultural heritage and communities, and community 
engagement and outreach.
•	 The Evaluation Commission Report taking into account third-party expert  
reports on a wide range of topics including: protected areas, sustainability,  
air quality and human rights. 
Candidature Process for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 
Published in October 2017, the Candidature Process for the Olympic Winter Games 
2026 introduced the Dialogue Stage. During this new phase, lasting just over a year, 
it was envisaged that the IOC would engage with Interested Cities without requiring 
a formal commitment, before going forward in October 2018 – subject to a vote by 
IOC Members – into a shortened Candidature Stage as Candidate Cities. The new 
process is based on a need for increased flexibility and an in-depth dialogue with 
the IOC and the Olympic Movement, most notably the IFs for winter sports. 
The introduction of Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm in February 2018 builds 
on this revised process in order to further reduce the costs and risks to Candidate 
Cities and host cities, and to improve sustainability and legacy outcomes.
Specific sustainability elements included:
•	 	An emphasis on the long-term development goals and sustainability challenges 
of the cities and regions. This has been a fundamental shift in mindset: the 
Olympic Games project is now viewed as a means of helping cities/regions 
achieve their development goals and address contemporary challenges,  
rather than adapting city plans to fit the Olympic Games. Games legacy  
will now become complementary to existing city/regional goals and not  
by-products of a Games-first approach.
•	 A priority given to using existing venues and other facilities unless a 
demonstrable long-term business case can be made for building new ones. 
This approach reduces the risk of building permanent venues with no viable 
after-use and avoids the expensive construction of bespoke temporary  
venues, even if this means a more dispersed Olympic Games concept. 
•	 The consideration of opportunities to share venues across multiple sports  
and IFs.
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•	 Further revisions to sustainability sections in candidature documentation to 
reflect essential elements of the IOC Sustainability Strategy: 
•	Candidate Questionnaire
•	Host City Contract Operational Requirements 
•	 The inclusion of sustainability and legacy considerations in initial interactive 
workshops with each Interested City.
•	 Use of the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) database to screen 
for protected natural areas across each city/region.
•	 Site visits to Interested Cities by sustainability technical experts and legacy 
experts in the first three quarters of 2018. These visits took place much earlier 
than in the 2024 Candidature Process, which meant that sustainability and 
legacy issues and opportunities could be discussed directly with the local 
teams and city officials well before the Games concepts had been locked 
down. Cities were able to explain their ideas, receive guidance and understand 
IOC expectations in a series of informal and open discussions.
•	 The use of feedback from these visits to inform the report of the Olympic Winter 
Games 2026 Working Group, presented to the IOC Executive Board and the 
IOC Session in October 2018 ahead of the decision on which cities would 
become Candidate Cities.
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG)
Although the YOG is not specifically covered by this objective, it is important to note how 
sustainability considerations apply to the YOG. In terms of scale and the levels of requirements 
and related operations, the YOG is vastly smaller than the Olympic Games and does not have 
comparable levels of impact or profile: the Youth Olympic Games Organising Committees 
(YOGOCs) are smaller and the budgets more modest. The need for smaller venue capacities 
calls for the use of existing facilities, temporary facilities and open, public spaces in a festival-
type approach, which combines competition with cultural and educational activities.
Nevertheless, although requirements have deliberately been kept simple, there is a short 
section on sustainability within the candidature questionnaire, and a single requirement for 
the local team to develop a sustainability strategy for their edition of the YOG. The Winter YOG 
Lillehammer 2016 was the first organisation in Norway to obtain the ISO 2012:1 certification, 
and the YOG Buenos Aires 2018 is also well on track to achieve the same certification.  
The YOGOC in Buenos Aires is also documenting its best practices in order to deliver a 
sustainable event guide for the hosting of future events in Argentina.
In February 2018, the IOC approved plans to target African NOCs as potential hosts for  
the YOG 2022. Existing documentation and procedures are currently being reworked to 
alleviate any constraints for potential host cities and to facilitate a more diverse array of 
potential destinations. 
Our vision is that the YOG will be integrated into broader regional and national strategies  
in line with the principles contained within Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm, and that 
we will work with host cities and nations to help reverse the trend of young people dropping 
out of sport.
Please refer to pages 62-67 of the IOC Annual Report 2017 for more information on the YOG.
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Objective 11: Reinforce sustainability commitments in the Host City 
Contract so that bidding for and hosting an Olympic 
Games edition can act as a catalyst for sustainable 
development within the host city and region 
As described under Objective 10, significant revisions were made to documentation 
for the Candidature Processes for the Olympic Games 2024 and the Olympic 
Winter Games 2026 in order to increase the emphasis on sustainability and legacy 
matters. Specifically, these revisions included: 
•	 In the Host City Contract for the Olympic Games 20241 an explicit reference to 
the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), 
which outlines human rights responsibilities of businesses, together with 
references to anti-corruption standards, was included for the first time.  
The Guiding Principles explain how commercial enterprises2 should assess 
human rights risks to their activities, take steps to avoid human rights impacts 
caused by their activities, and ensure a remedy is available to anyone who 
would suffer human rights violations in spite of those efforts. 
•	 The strengthening of sustainability principles across all operational areas as 
part of the 2018 revision of the Host City Contract for the Olympic Games 2026 
and the accompanying Host City Contract 2026 – Operational Requirements, 
a process that also integrated the requirements from the IOC Sustainability 
Strategy that apply to the OCOGs, host cities and their delivery partners.
The second point is significant because for the first time, sustainability criteria 
have been integrated across the Host City Contract in areas such as sport, venue 
development, brand identity and Look of the Games, Games services (such as 
transport and food and beverage), governance and finance. This helps to ensure 
that sustainability becomes a way of working for future host cities and their OCOGs 
rather than as an ad hoc undertaking.
Objective 12: Strengthen support and monitoring of the OCOGs’ 
implementation of sustainability-related bid 
commitments, Host City Contract requirements 
and IOC’s recommendations, including through the 
provision of common methodologies and independent 
third-party assessments where appropriate.
Since the early 2000s, the IOC has provided an initial briefing on sustainability 
to newly formed OCOGs, followed up by periodic Technical Reviews to assess 
progress against bid commitments. This approach was essentially top-down – it did 
not facilitate working in genuine partnerships or the provision of expert guidance. 
Following the Olympic Games London 2012, there was a step-change  
in our approach to working with OCOGs on sustainability matters. This increased 
level of attention and collaboration helped inform the development of our 
Sustainability Strategy and Legacy Strategic Approach.
1 The Summer Games of 2028 were awarded to Los Angeles at the same time as the Summer Games of 2024 were awarded to Paris. At this stage, therefore, the same sustainability requirements apply to both host cities
2 Although pitched at commercial enterprises the UN guiding principles can equally be applied to other types of organisations and are thus entirely relevant for Olympic Games organisers.
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Our in-house Sustainability Unit and external expert advisers now have more 
frequent and deeper interactions with the sustainability teams and other relevant 
functions in both the OCOGs and their delivery partners. These interactions go well 
beyond simply monitoring compliance and checking progress: they now include 
detailed guidance, discussing solutions to issues arising and developing tools and 
common methodologies to help shorten the learning curve for each new host city 
coming on board.
We undertake regular on-site meetings with the corresponding OCOG teams, 
often with local stakeholders in attendance. Each visit includes meetings with 
other OCOG functions, in order to ensure sustainability is treated as a shared 
responsibility, and a briefing session with senior OCOG management, in order  
to ensure they recognise the importance and benefits of sustainability in their 
planning and operations. 
Where possible, we align our technical visits with those of other functions  
so that our staff and/or technical advisers can attend sessions with them.  
For example, we regularly provide input to the Venue Development and  
Operational Reviews (VDORs) that usually take place every three to four months. 
We supplement our visits with regular conference calls with the OCOG’s 
Sustainability team, along with ad hoc email exchanges on specific topics  
and issues. When more high-level management decisions are required, 
sustainability agenda items are added to Project Reviews and Coordination 
Commission meetings.
We also review and comment on early drafts of sustainability policies, plans and 
other documents produced by OCOGs, such as sourcing codes, management 
system manuals and communications plans.
Our specific sustainability actions in this area have included:
•	 The production of an Olympic Games Guide on Sustainability, which  
was first issued September 2013 and was revised and updated in 2015  
and 2017.
•	 The review of other relevant Olympic Games Guides3 (such as Food Services, 
Olympic Villages, Venues, Transport, Brand Identity and Look, Ceremonies  
etc.) to ensure a consistent and integrated approach to sustainability across  
all functional areas. This has been a regular task of reviews and updates 
following each edition of the Games. 
•	 The inclusion of a chapter on sustainability in the generic Olympic Venue Briefs 
that are provided to each OCOG early in the planning process.
•	 The production of an Olympic Games Guide on Sourcing and Resource 
Management – A Circular Economy Approach (October 2017), which is 
designed to provide OCOGs with information that will help them to develop  
a holistic and integrated approach to managing goods/materials and optimising 
value throughout the Games management lifecycle. It encourages OCOGs to 
take a circular economy approach and apply it to the staging of the Olympic 
and Paralympic Games.
Our Sustainability Unit develops  
methodologies to shorten the learning  
curve for each new host city.”
“
3 Olympic Games Guides were formerly known as Technical Manuals. Since the advent of Olympic Agenda 2020, all Technical Manuals were revised as guidance documents and specific ‘Operational Requirements’ were placed  
in a separate document annexed to the Host City Contract.
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•	 The development of a standardised methodology for carbon footprinting to help 
OCOGs calculate the carbon footprint of their Games and identify areas where 
they could achieve significant carbon emission reductions. This approach will 
enable OCOGs and their delivery partners to identify appropriate emission 
avoidance and reduction opportunities earlier in their planning process than 
has previously been possible, thereby realising greater cost savings. The 
methodology has been produced by recognised experts in the field, working  
in collaboration with current OCOG sustainability teams.
•	 The requirement for all current and future OCOGs to achieve certification to 
the Event Sustainability Management Systems standard, ISO 20121:2012. We 
may also ask OCOGs for evidence that their venues are being constructed to 
the green building standards as proposed in the Candidature File, and for the 
establishment of a suitable complaints and dispute resolution mechanism for 
dealing with supply-chain issues.
Objective 13: Facilitate exchanges between Olympic Games 
stakeholders (e.g. OCOGs, national partners, host 
city authorities, TOP Partners) and build strategic 
partnerships with relevant expert organisations to 
develop innovative sustainable solutions for planning 
and staging of the Olympic Games
The need to work in partnerships begins during the Candidature Stage (see 
Objective 10 above) and continues throughout the lifecycle of an Olympic Games.  
A key part of this process is reviewing and advising on governance structures during 
the Candidature Stage, then reviewing proposals following the host city election. 
This process allows us to use the Olympic brand’s convening powers to help bring 
together all the relevant stakeholders and establish lines of collaborative working.
During the development of the IOC Sustainability Strategy and following its 
approval in December 2016, we consulted with many international organisations 
to identify potential synergies, areas of interest and concrete actions that would 
assist us in responding to Olympic Agenda 2020 and implementing the Strategy. 
Identifying and consulting with potential partners is an ongoing process – in many 
cases, these partner organisations are able to provide assistance to OCOGs and 
host cities, either directly or via their international networks. 
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Specific sustainability actions relevant to OCOGs and host city authorities  
have included:
•	 An agreement between the IOC and the International Union for Conservation  
of Nature (IUCN) to collaborate on biodiversity and the conservation. 
•	 The promotion of the Green Passport, the UN Environment (formerly UNEP) 
online educational platform on sustainable tourism.
•	 The review of and support for the IOC’s carbon management methodology for 
OCOGs by UN Climate Change (UNFCCC). 
•	 An agreement in September 2017 between the IOC and Dow, a TOP Partner, 
to implement a global carbon compensation programme. While this covers 
the IOC in general terms, it can also be applied to the Olympic Games in 
partnership with the OCOGs and host city authorities.
•	 An agreement between the IOC and C40 Cities in June 2018 to work together 
to share knowledge and expertise to assist the host cities, Interested Cities and 
Candidate Cities achieve their sustainability objectives, particularly their efforts  
on climate change mitigation and adaptation, and to foster innovation in areas 
such as sustainable infrastructure, mobility; food, water, waste, air quality  
and resilience.
•	 Technical cooperation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) around  
public health issues related to mass gatherings, health-related issues and 
surveillance in relation to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018  
and the YOG Buenos Aires 2018.
Peer-to-peer learning
We encourage contact between successive OCOGs where this can help mutual learning. In 
practice, this can be difficult: the older OCOG will normally be between 18 months and four 
years ahead of its peers and will consequently be dealing with situations and issues that have 
not yet become relevant for the succeeding OCOGs. Language and cultural differences can 
also be limiting factors.
Already, the host city authorities 
of the Olympic Games Paris 
2024 and Los Angeles 2028 
have signed a Memorandum of 
Understanding to collaborate on 
issues relating to sustainability, 
social inclusion and innovation. 
Although four years apart in 
delivery, both host cities were 
elected at the same time, 
thereby providing a unique 
opportunity for co-working and 
sharing knowledge and ideas.
We certainly support this 
approach and will seek to 
facilitate other opportunities  
for peer-to-peer learning 
between contemporary OCOGs 
and host cities.
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Games-time Observer Programme 
Another important activity is our Transfer of Knowledge programme – and, 
specifically in relation to the Games, the integrated Observer Programme held 
during the period of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This provides the 
next OCOG and others that follow, as well as teams from Interested and Candidate 
Cities, with the chance to learn about how sustainability is being delivered, both in  
a classroom environment and on the ground at venues. 
Over the last few editions of the Games, the programme has included stand-
alone sustainability sessions. At the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, 
we introduced some sustainability content into observer sessions run by other 
functions, which proved useful. For future Games, therefore, in addition to the 
stand-alone sessions, we will provide a more integrated approach – not only to 
sustainability across the whole Observer Programme but as a combined effort 
reflective of the experience of both the IOC and the International Paralympic 
Committee (IPC). 
Additionally, whereas in the past the content has largely been provided by the 
hosting OCOG, our Sustainability Unit will in future be responsible for much  
more of the content. This has the double benefit of relieving pressure on the 
OCOGs at their busiest time while also enabling a more objective and  
wider-ranging discussion. 
Thanks to our continual and in-depth engagement with host cities and OCOGs  
over the full Games lifecycle, we will have good knowledge of the processes  
that have been followed and the challenges that have been encountered, which  
we can place in a broader context that will be of more value to observing teams. 
This will be further contextualised by the OCOG’s own lifecycle – specifically 
segmenting learning into the 3+4 planning framework emphasised by  
Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New Norm, for which organisers are encouraged to 
allocate around three years to strategic elements before shifting focus four years 
before the Games to detailed operational planning, readiness and delivery. 
Sustainability is also a specific theme covered in the post-Games Debrief, which  
is always held a few months after each Games in the corresponding next host city. 
This allows larger numbers of delegates from the next host city to attend sessions 
than was the case for the on-site Observer Programme.
A Games-time Observer Programme session during the 
Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018
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Olympic Games Legacy
One significant step has been the development of the IOC Legacy Strategic Approach,  
which was approved by the IOC Executive Board in December 2017. This covers the various  
ways in which we will encourage, support, monitor and promote legacy in partnership with  
our stakeholders.
The four objectives of the Legacy Strategic Approach are: 
1.	to embed legacy through the Olympic Games lifecycle; 
2.	to document, analyse and communicate the legacy of the Olympic Games; 
3.	to encourage Olympic legacy celebration; and 
4.	to build strategic partnerships.
In line with the Olympic Games timelines, this means that host cities from the Olympic Winter 
Games 2022 onwards will be required to develop a legacy plan outlining how legacy will be 
embedded across their Games project and how it will serve their host city communities. They  
will also be required to outline their legacy governance structure that takes into consideration  
the following principles:
•	legacy governance is operational early in the lifecycle of the Olympic Games; 
•	legacy governance is made resilient to operational pressures and political changes;  
•	processes for transfer of ownership at the end of the Olympic Games are clearly defined  
	 to ensure continuous implementation; 
•	legacy funding is ensured through early definition of the roles and responsibilities of  
	 local/national authorities;
•	legacy planning and delivery are monitored using transparent mechanisms to resolve any 	
	 potential issues and shortcomings, and find corrective measures when necessary; and 
•	appropriate evaluation and assurance is established to monitor compliance, supported by 	
	 coordinated communications and responses to issues.
This approach complements our efforts to ensure sustainability principles are applied throughout 
the planning and delivery of the Olympic Games.
Celebrate
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Partner
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December 2017
Legacy Strategic Approach
Moving Forward
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Practical sustainability measures for the Games by OBS 
 
OBS was established in 2001, and its initial efforts on sustainability were limited 
to paper recycling and power management control. Following the introduction 
of Olympic Agenda 2020, OBS personnel also began paying serious attention to 
sustainability in relation to their Games-time operations. Starting with the Olympic 
Games Rio 2016, working through the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang  
2018 and looking ahead to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, OBS has recognised 
the need for and value of operating more sustainably.
A number of measures have been introduced, or are planned, in order to reduce 
waste and energy consumption and optimise operational efficiencies. These include 
the following:
•	 The reconfiguration of the layout of the International Broadcasting Centre 
(IBC) to create a more optimal mix of technical areas and office spaces. This 
will balance airflow and reduce the amount of heating and cooling required, 
thereby lowering power consumption. This rearrangement has had to be 
thoroughly discussed with all the Rights-Holding Broadcasters (RHBs) who 
operate within the IBC in order for them to be persuaded of the real benefits.
•	 At the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, OBS limited the IBC to  
a single floor and further lessened its height, thereby reducing the total amount 
of construction. There was also a 30 per cent reduction of the main electrical 
switchgear compared with the previous Olympic Winter Games.
•	 The reuse of materials from successive Games. Up until the Olympic Winter 
Games Sochi 2014, OBS had to dismantle and dispose of the IBC’s fit-out 
materials, resulting in large volumes of debris. Not only was this wasteful, 
it meant high costs of new overlay for each Games. Following the Olympic 
Games Rio 2016, almost all overlay materials such as power panels, ceilings, 
lighting, carpets and air ducts were dismantled, collected from the IBC and 
transported by sea freight to PyeongChang for reuse in the IBC for the Olympic 
Winter Games in February 2018. This reuse of modular panels is estimated to 
have avoided 3,000 truckloads of waste, while approximately 50 per cent of 
cabling was salvaged from Rio for reuse in PyeongChang. Occupying more 
than 300 shipping containers, these materials will be reused at the next Games: 
the aim is for 90 per cent of materials from PyeongChang to be reused at the 
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Depending on the condition of the materials after 
three Games, a decision will be made on whether they can be reused once more 
at an IBC. If not, alternative reuse options will be considered, including donating 
them to UN agencies for redistribution to those in need.
3,000 
truckloads of waste avoided  
thanks to the reuse of Rio 2016 modular 
panels at PyeongChang 2018 
50% 
cabling salvaged from  
Rio 2016 for reuse  
at PyeongChang 2018
90% 
of materials from PyeongChang 2018  
will be reused at Tokyo 2020
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•	 Sustainable sourcing. In response to Olympic Agenda 2020 – The New 
Norm, OBS is developing sustainability requirements for inclusion in tender 
specifications for building materials, uniforms, catering and the like. These 
requirements will include an emphasis on reducing packaging and plastic 
content. Of course, the paramount criterion is quality for broadcasting 
purposes – but where other factors can influence choice, sustainability is given 
high priority.
•	 A reduction of on-site OBS personnel at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 
compared to the Olympic Games Rio 2016. This is despite a larger number of 
sports and a more dispersed venue configuration than was the case in both Rio 
and at the Olympic Games London 2012. Measures to achieve this reduction 
include the introduction of new technologies and a greater reliance on remote 
production (for example, producing highlights packages from studios in Madrid 
rather than in the host city).
Financial benefits of a sustainable approach
OBS has analysed the cost and benefits of its sustainability measures and identified 
significant savings. It is not a linear progression from Games to Games, as cost savings 
vary between host cities because of different costs of labour and construction materials. In 
the case of the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the use of modular reusable panels for the IBC 
achieved cost savings in the order of 60 per cent compared with traditional single-build 
solutions. Savings were less significant for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, 
while anticipated savings for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, where local construction is 
very expensive, could be in the order of 50-70 per cent. Even taking account of storage and 
shipping costs, over three Olympic cycles this equates to considerable cost savings – of tens 
of millions of USD.
One example of these savings is with the TV towers required at each Games. Demountable, 
reusable TV towers can achieve the same purpose as building a new structure, but they are 
about 75 per cent cheaper – saving up to USD 3m each time. The TV tower first used at the 
Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 will be on its fourth Games in Tokyo, having also been 
reused in Rio and PyeongChang. 
Modular construction saves fit-out and dismantling time by about 20 per cent. This means 
potentially shorter rental periods for venues, leading to additional cost savings, and is also 
better for the host venue, leaving shorter gaps between events.
The use of remote production instead of sending non-local broadcast technicians to the host 
city saves about USD 25,000 per person per Games.
Following the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, an experimental project saw the 
shipping of certain used modular panels, solar panels and containers to a refugee camp  
in northern Uganda, where they will form much-needed housing. The work has been  
financed by OBS in lieu of costs that would have been paid to recycle these materials in  
the Republic of Korea.
Please refer to the IOC Annual Report 2017 (page 24) for more information.
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Challenges and lessons learned
The continual improvements to the Candidature Process and increased 
engagement with candidature teams, OCOGs and host cities have further 
advanced the sustainability agenda for the Olympic Games. These changes are 
also testament to a willingness to re-examine established ways of working and  
find better ways of doing things.
Alongside these improvements come numerous challenges, particularly in trying 
to provide a consistent approach across multiple host cities at the same time. 
This is true for any IOC function – but in the case of sustainability, it is particularly 
challenging due to widely varying cultural and geographical situations, with different 
levels of societal understanding and expectations concerning sustainability.
With regard to the internal challenges of integrating sustainability across different 
functions and building both awareness and understanding among different 
teams, the incorporation of sustainability content into guidance and requirements 
documentation produced by other functions has proved useful. With the Venues 
team, we have delivered joint working sessions to the OCOGs, which have  
helped reinforce the interconnection between sustainability and venue planning 
and development.
Certainly, compared with a decade or so ago, the level of support and guidance 
available to candidature teams and OCOGs has improved immensely. This has 
been reinforced by the input from partner organisations such as the International 
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Labour Organization (ILO) 
and UN agencies as well as TOP Partners such as Dow (our official Carbon Partner) 
and Toyota, but probably the most important advances have been the earlier, direct 
interaction with local teams in their cities, both during the Candidature Process and 
in the early set-up stages for each OCOG.
Although we can always improve our technical guidance and materials, we find  
the most beneficial interaction is collaboration with our peers in the Candidate Cities 
and host cities. Collaborative working is an obvious approach but it has not always 
been carried out effectively. Previous OCOGs have worked in relative isolation, 
reinventing the wheel each time.
Continuity of purpose is an important element in this respect. When a Candidature 
team transitions into an OCOG, there can be a hiatus and change of personnel 
that can mean a loss of momentum for sustainability. While the IOC cannot dictate 
individual appointments, early engagement with the new host city and transition 
team means we can ensure that sustainability remains high on the agenda and has 
a strong place within the new governance structures being established.
We find the most beneficial interaction  
is collaboration with our peers in the  
Candidate Cities and host cities.”
“
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On an individual level, we invest a considerable amount of time and effort briefing 
and supporting the sustainability function in each OCOG, with the risk that this work 
could be undone when people leave. In some countries it is common practice to 
recruit staff on secondment from public agencies, government departments or 
corporate partners which can often mean people work in cycles of two or three 
years before returning to their original jobs, thereby breaking the continuity of the 
team and losing valuable knowledge. This is hard for us to overcome – but through 
continual engagement with the OCOGs throughout their lifecycle, we can minimise 
the impact of such issues.
The revised approach to the Candidature Process has been of particular benefit. 
By sending the IOC’s appointed technical experts to each Interested City during 
the Dialogue Stage, we are now more able to help shape bid concepts that align 
better with local/regional goals. Candidate Cities can sometimes over-promise on 
environmental technologies and other eye-catching projects, whereas the more 
sustainable approach we are seeking can actually mean doing less and aligning 
with existing initiatives.
Instead of sustainability being used by Candidate Cities as a differentiator, the ideal 
is that it becomes the natural basis for any Candidature. No two cities are alike  
and there can be no direct comparison between competing claims and promises. 
What matters is sustainability in the host territory context: an Olympic Games 
concept that fits with the direction in which the city/region is already heading, 
and that can enhance and accelerate planned programmes and help address 
contemporary social, economic and environmental issues.
At the 132nd IOC Session in Lima, Paris and Los Angeles were elected as host 
cities of the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games respectively. Revisions made to the 
Candidature Process for the 2024 Games increased the focus on sustainability.
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IOC Sustainability Report
Introduction
THE IOC AS LEADER OF 
THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT 
CHAPTER 5

79 
Scope
This sphere of our Sustainability Strategy is a direct response to 
Recommendation 5 of Olympic Agenda 2020, which states (in part):
… The IOC to engage and assist Olympic Movement stakeholders in 
integrating sustainability within their own organisation and operations by:
•	 	developing recommendations,
•	 	providing tools, e.g. best practices and scorecards,
•	 	providing mechanisms to ensure the exchange of information between 
Olympic stakeholders,
•	 	using existing channels, such as Olympic Solidarity, to help and assist in 
implementing initiatives.
To achieve the above, the IOC to cooperate with relevant expert organisations 
such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Our approach to sustainability across the Olympic Movement can be summarised 
in two ways. First, we aim to provide and facilitate technical support in the form 
of information exchange, technical one-to-one support and best practice guides. 
Second, we aim to use our global reach to bring the sustainability work of 
Olympic Movement stakeholders to a broader audience. 
To achieve these goals, we intend to leverage two major assets: Olympic 
Solidarity, the established main mechanism through which the IOC supports  
the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and Olympic athletes, who can provide 
the inspiration and profile to excite greater attention in this area.
The IOC as leader of the Olympic Movement
The Olympic Movement comprises a diverse and influential set of constituents, all connected through association with the Olympic brand. Although in this context the IOC’s level of  
direct control is limited, we see our role as leader of the Olympic Movement as a great opportunity to inspire, encourage and assist the constituent entities.
Since the advent of Olympic Agenda 2020, we have taken a renewed look at how we engage with and assist National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs) on 
sustainability matters. The main vehicle for supporting NOCs is Olympic Solidarity. Accordingly, we are working to ensure that sustainability considerations are integrated into the future 
work of Olympic Solidarity with the NOCs, including providing guidance, education manuals and evaluation of funding requests from NOCs.
For IFs we aim to produce an overview of existing IF sustainability initiatives, as well as identify common topics, challenges and needs for further support and guidance.
From the IOC Sustainability Strategy, first published January 2017
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Rationale
Our primary focus during the reporting period was to gain a clear picture  
of the level of understanding and implementation of sustainability within  
IF operations and events, provide targeted support, and establish a working  
strategy with the NOCs.
Progress against objectives
To enable delivery of our 2020 objectives, we appointed an Olympic Movement 
Sustainability Manager in early 2017 with the aim of driving delivery of the five 
sustainability objectives that specifically relate to our role as leader of the  
Olympic Movement.
Objective 14: Provide mechanisms to ensure exchange of  
information and best practices between  
Olympic Movement stakeholders
We have concentrated much of our efforts since the publication of our Sustainability 
Strategy in January 2017 on researching and developing means to provide 
information on sustainability best practices in ways that are useful for our Olympic 
Movement stakeholders. The principal means of doing this have been through 
workshops, the publication of case studies and guidelines, and the establishment of 
a dialogue to ascertain the current activities and future aspirations for the 206 NOCs.
Workshops
Throughout 2017 and into 2018, we hosted a series of workshops on specific subjects 
for our Olympic Movement stakeholders. These workshops covered topics such as 
water quality, sourcing and resource management, and carbon management.
In addition to the specific technical themes of the workshops, we used these 
gatherings to gain more insight into how best to address:
•	 the best opportunities through which to exchange best practices  
and experiences; 
•	 the challenges and barriers faced by the sport world in implementing sustainability 
initiatives – both generally and for specific topics;
•	 any mechanisms and strategies that have or could be put in place to advance 
sustainable goals;
•	 the level of need to develop further technical industry-led partnerships and tools; 
•	 the need for cross-cutting discussions between different sports organisations and 
the establishment of inter-sport relationships; and
•	 unifying sport to address relevant global issues through the implementation of the 
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We will continue to offer similar workshops for NOCs and IFs in the future,  
with the agenda depending on demand, emerging issues and whether there 
is any new information to report. For the time being, the workshops are being 
followed by the publication of practical guidelines for the Olympic Movement  
(see page 83).
Case studies
In 2016 and 2017 we published a total of 40 IF sustainability case studies from  
more than 20 individual IFs, covering a wide range of sustainability topics.  
Each case study is aligned with one or more of the IOC’s five sustainability focus 
areas and with one or more of the UN SDGs. The table that follows lists the case 
studies published in 2016 and 2017.
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FOCUS AREA
THEMES COVERED
OLYMPIC IF/IOC RECOGNISED FEDERATION
SDGS SUPPORTED
Infrastructure and natural sites
Venue development
World Archery (WA; archery); International Golf Federation (IGF; golf)
3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17
Playing surfaces
International Hockey Federation (FIH; hockey)
9, 12
Landscapes and protected areas
International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation  
(UIAA; mountaineering)
3, 9, 12, 13, 15
Water quality
International Canoe Federation (ICF; canoe); World Rowing (FISA; 
rowing); World Sailing (WS; sailing); International Swimming Federation 
(FINA; swimming); International Triathlon Union (ITU; triathlon)
3, 6, 14
Sourcing and resource management
Human rights and ethical supply chains
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA; football)
8, 10, 17
Avoiding/reducing waste
Badminton World Federation (BWF; badminton)
12
Reuse/donation of equipment
International Boxing Association (AIBA; boxing);  
International Judo Federation (IJF; judo)
3, 10, 12
Recycling
FIFA (football)
12
Sustainable materials (e.g. uniforms, 
banners, avoiding single-use plastic)
WA (archery); International Biathlon Union (IBU; biathlon);  
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ice hockey);  
International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM; modern pentathlon)
9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Mobility
Smart cities
International Automobile Federation (FIA; motor sport)
9, 11, 13
Sustainable travel
International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF; bobsleigh  
& skeleton); International Cycling Union (UCI; cycling)
3, 8, 11, 13, 17
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FOCUS AREA
THEMES COVERED
OLYMPIC IF/IOC RECOGNISED FEDERATION
SDGS SUPPORTED
Workforce
Green office and working conditions
IBSF (bobsleigh & skeleton);  
International Equestrian Federation (FEI; equestrian)
3, 7, 8, 9, 11
Inclusion and gender equality
FIFA (football); World Taekwondo (WT; taekwondo)
5, 10
Climate
Energy conservation
International Skating Union (ISU; ice skating)
6, 7
All focus areas
Sustainable event management
FIFA (football)
Transversal
Sustainability strategies
WS (sailing)
6, 9, 13
Research
FEI (equestrian); International Ski Federation (FIS; skiing)
6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15
Partnerships and  
stakeholder engagement
ICF (canoe); International Fistball Association (IFA; fistball);  
World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF; flying disc);  
FISA (rowing); WS (sailing)
3, 6, 14, 11, 12, 13, 15
Table 2: IF case studies for 2016 and 2017
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INTRODUCTION TO 
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY
ESSENTIALS
A SERIES OF PRACTICAL GUIDES  
FOR THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT
83 
The case study project enables us to gain an overview of current IF 
sustainability initiatives, and to gauge their progress in the area of 
sustainability. The project is also an excellent means for disseminating 
examples of best practices, challenges and lessons learned across a wide 
range of sustainability topics. The 2018 edition of case studies will be 
published in November 2018 and will be made available on olympic.org.
Sustainability Essentials
In response to requests received from the 
Olympic Movement for simple, easy-to-
follow guides on sustainability, we have 
begun to create a series of entry-level 
guides that are specifically aimed at NOCs 
and IFs. Known as the Sustainability 
Essentials series, these guides will provide 
simple, practical and useful information on 
key aspects of implementing sustainability  
within sport. 
The first of these guides, An Introduction 
to Sustainability, was published in 
July 2018. At the time of this report’s 
publication in October 2018, we were in 
the process of producing further guides 
on sustainable sourcing and carbon management. The selection of these 
topics has been influenced by feedback from IFs and other stakeholders 
attending the workshops we have organised (for the Workshops section,  
see page 80). 
Water quality guidelines
Water-based recreational activities have long been recognised as having 
a positive influence on health and well-being, and many outdoor sports 
rely on natural water bodies for training, competition and recreation. 
However, millions of litres of raw or partially-treated sewage, as well as 
waste such as plastics, are pumped into seas, lakes and rivers every 
day, polluting the environment and resulting in an estimated 250 million 
cases of bathing-related gastroenteritis and upper respiratory disease 
each year. Pathogenic viruses and bacteria such as Escherichia coli are 
commonly found in untreated sewage, leaving swimmers, surfers and 
children at risk of infection. Polluted and unsafe recreational waters can 
lead to infections, exposure to chemicals, injuries and death. For more 
information, visit the World Health Organization (WHO) website.
Five Olympic sports take place in natural waters, and the challenges 
faced around the Olympic Games Rio 2016 in relation to poor water 
quality and the risk to athletes’ health clearly showed a need for a 
positive long-term approach. The solutions developed by the Rio 2016 
Organising Committee were unique to event management and a first 
for water quality management, and led experts from the International 
Canoe Federation (ICF; canoe), the International Swimming Federation 
(FINA; marathon swimming), World Rowing (FISA; rowing), World Sailing 
(WS; sailing), the International Triathlon Federation (ITU; triathlon) and the 
IOC to join forces with the World Health Organization (WHO) and form 
a working group in May 2017. The group has been set up to tackle the 
ongoing issue of pollution in natural water bodies, to increase the safety 
of athletes, and to promote legacy projects in host cities for water sports, 
recreation and the environment.
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The working group is aiming to create a common set of guidelines 
around water quality and testing regimes for both primary and secondary 
contact for water sports events, and is currently working on the figures 
in consultation with the WHO. These common standards will eventually 
be used to help guide and support bidding processes, local organising 
committees (LOCs) and host cities around the world, and will provide clear 
benchmarks to protect athletes’ health and the environment. It is hoped that 
these benchmarks will also encourage host cities to implement long-term 
developments, kick-starting legacy improvement projects.
In July 2018, the IOC incorporated these new measures into the medical 
requirements and guidelines for future host cities.
NOC Sustainability Implementation Programme
Given the full support of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission in 
November 2017, this initiative aims to help NOCs to integrate sustainability 
measures into their operations and events. 
The programme functions around the concept of five work-streams, each 
of which is tailored specifically for NOCs to help them to train, implement 
actions, share information and support each other.
1.	Written guidance 
Providing educational materials in a simple and easy-to-use format (for 
example, the Sustainability Essentials guides) to enable NOCs to start 
implementing sustainable measures.
2.	Institutional meetings 
A regular process through which we aim to reach the leadership of 
all NOCs in order to inform, educate and inspire their involvement in 
sustainability actions.
3.	Knowledge sharing and best practice 
Developing a database of best practices for sharing across the Olympic 
Movement – to be reviewed and updated annually.
4.	Leveraging partnerships 
Leveraging strategic partnerships to support NOCs, with the IOC 
acting as a facilitator where appropriate – for example, through a joint 
collaboration on the UN Environment Clean Seas campaign  
(see pages 86-88).
5.	Events/targeted projects 
Working with NOCs to embed sustainability into the planning and 
operation of their events or other specific projects.
We started with a period of research that encompassed the inclusion 
of sustainability-related questions in the 2017 NOC survey, internal 
consultations with relevant IOC departments, direct dialogue with  
30 individual NOCs from all continents, and an assessment of the 
sustainability work currently being conducted with the IFs.
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European NOC Sustainability Working Group
To start the NOC Sustainability Implementation Programme, we established  
the European NOC Sustainability Working Group in 2017. The aims of this 
working group are to:
•	 articulate the business case for sustainability and the responsibilities of NOCs;
•	 collate and share existing sustainability best practices with a trial group  
of NOCs;
•	 discuss opportunities for future support and collaboration;
•	 discuss challenges faced in embedding sustainability at an NOC;
•	 carry out an initial gap analysis by subject matter; and 
•	 discuss how best to assist and share best practice with other NOCs.
Consisting of ten NOCs (Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, 
Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland), the working group met for 
the first time in Frankfurt in November 2017, together with the IOC Sustainability 
and Olympic Solidarity Units. The outcome of this meeting was a list of actions 
to be implemented in 2018 and 2019, which are summarised below:
•	 Create an internal knowledge-sharing platform for NOCs to share information, 
best practice and post comments on upcoming events.
•	 Set up a series of technical workshops between 2018 and 2020 on various 
topics. The main needs were seen in the areas of sustainable sourcing, 
climate, sport and biodiversity, and sustainable events.
•	 Work together on an external communications plan and public sharing of 
best practices.
•	 Create a portfolio of sustainability questions and answers for all NOCs  
before each Olympic Games.
•	 Create an implementation plan for each NOC within the group to track 
progress, report on, and share lessons learned.
Our intention is to replicate this approach via the other continental groupings of 
NOCs in the coming years.
Objective 15: Facilitate access to relevant expert organisations  
to develop guidelines and innovative solutions
We have had regular contact with several UN agencies and other international 
organisations over recent years. However, since the publication of Olympic 
Agenda 2020 and the development of our Sustainability Strategy, we have  
been able to bring these relationships into more tangible and practical use. 
In the context of this objective, there are several notable areas of progress  
to report.
UN Environment
UN Environment (formerly the UN Environment 
Programme, or UNEP) is our oldest partner in the 
sustainability field, and was specifically cited in 
Recommendation 5 of Olympic Agenda 2020.  
In the context of this objective, we have two specific engagements with  
UN Environment. 
UN Environment Green Passport
The Green Passport campaign was developed by UN Environment and 
launched in 2008, jointly with the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable 
Development and Spatial Planning and the Brazilian Ministries of Environment 
and Tourism. It is an initiative of the International Task Force on Sustainable 
Tourism Development to accelerate a global shift towards sustainable 
consumption and production, which emerged from the World Summit on 
Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002.
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The Green Passport initiative was used by the Organising Committee 
for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 in a number of areas, such as on the 
supply side of tourism (supporting community-based tourism groups in the 
favelas, training small and mid-sized hotels on sustainability management) 
and expanding on the demand side (on-site, face-to-face interactions with 
tourists and volunteer engagement). 
From this experience, we can state that the Green Passport is potentially 
a useful tool for host city authorities to develop a repository of sustainable 
goods and services for both national and international travellers. The  
IOC’s role is essentially to facilitate dialogue between UN Environment  
and interested OCOGs and host city authorities. 
Clean Seas campaign
Over the last year, the issue of single-use plastic dependency 
has shot to prominence and become a major global concern. 
We recognise that the sport sector has traditionally used 
considerable amounts of plastic. There is much scope for 
reducing this plastic usage and implementing measures that 
address gaps in waste management. In addition, sport has  
a platform to highlight this issue for the public, adding weight 
to global and local initiatives to combat the detrimental effects 
of plastic pollution.
Accordingly, we were delighted to confirm our commitment to  
UN Environment to join their Clean Seas campaign in March 2018. This is 
our recognition of the magnitude of the problem that marine litter is creating 
globally, and of the opportunity – and responsibility – for the IOC, along  
with the Olympic Movement and sport more generally, to play our part in 
tackling this important global issue.
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COMMITMENT
DETAILS
Understand
 
To demonstrate an understanding of our relationship with single-use plastics and investigate ways to reduce consumption and use.
Commit
 
With this knowledge, work with UN Environment to make a time-bound commitment to reduce plastics by a specific volume, outlining  
a simple process for how we will manage this.
Act
Put in place simple plastic management practices to reduce, re-use or recover plastic where required.
Communicate
 
Work with UN Environment to actively demonstrate how changing a few practices can help turn the tide on plastic use with staff, athletes, 
media and other stakeholders in order to encourage followership and behaviour change.
Inspire
 
Work with the Olympic Movement and partners to identify and develop others to follow in the Clean Seas campaign.  
In relation to the above, potential initiatives could include:
•	bringing together sport and the Olympic Movement to make a pledge and tackle this global issue;
•	identifying an ambassador in an IF or sport organisation to speak alongside the IOC about their commitment;
•	developing a joint communications activity around a sport event that illustrates the commitment;
•	establishing a working group with partner representatives to identify potential solutions; and
•	working with the IOC on a campaign that inspires people to act and utilise their communications touchpoints  
that shows the actions they’re taking.
Share
The IOC and UN Environment to collate and share best practices and lessons learned with others to develop the programme further and 
inspire others.
Table 3: How the IOC is contributing to the Clean Seas campaign
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IOC and Olympic Movement partners backing the  
Clean Seas campaign
On World Environment Day, 5 June 2018, we issued a joint statement with UN Environment 
to announce that our organisations were teaming up to support the Clean Seas campaign, 
and called on other sports organisations and the Olympic Movement to join the effort. 
We have already confirmed active participation from eight sports (athletics, canoe/kayak, 
golf, ice hockey, rugby, sailing, surfing and triathlon), a number of NOCs from Europe and 
Oceania, and three of our TOP Partners – Coca-Cola, Dow and P&G.
This is not just a global campaign about a distant problem in the marine environment – it 
very much starts at home. In our case, we have already begun reducing waste at the IOC 
headquarters and The Olympic Museum, and we are working to increase responsible 
material use at IOC events in collaboration with our suppliers by 2020. 
Moving forward, we will provide educational toolkits and workshops to the sports 
community, and will work together with the Olympic Movement and athletes to increase 
awareness. In addition, we will seek innovative solutions together with our partners. With 
assistance from Olympic Solidarity funding, coastal clean-ups, campaigns and education 
programmes have already begun in Oceania, a region of 17 nations that sees at first-hand 
the impacts of marine debris in the oceans.
Athletes from many sports are already getting involved and helping us to raise awareness 
about the importance of tackling plastic pollution in the oceans. One such athlete is the 
French surfer Justine Dupont.
“It’s an honour to take part in the Clean Seas campaign and work together with the IOC 
and the International Surfing Association to spread and promote sustainability initiatives. 
I look forward to collaborating with the IOC as Clean Seas Ambassador to build a platform 
that allows us to educate and inspire others to join us in creating a global impact and 
reducing the tide of plastic waste flowing into our oceans. I believe big changes start from 
the bottom up, so we can all take little, yet important, steps to protect our oceans for future 
generations to enjoy.”
Multi-discipline French surfer Justine Dupont
* Baseball/softball, karate, skateboard, sport climbing and surfing have been added to the 
programme for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
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International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
A tangible outcome of our ongoing collaboration  
with the IUCN was the development of the  
IUCN Sport and Biodiversity Guide, which was published  
in April 2018. Compiled and produced by IUCN,  
this guide aims to help sport organisations better 
understand how their activities have an impact on the 
natural environment, and offers practical advice and specific examples of 
how sport can make a positive contribution to nature conservation. 
The guide was officially unveiled during a workshop for IFs hosted by 
the IUCN at their offices in Gland, Switzerland. It is the first in a series of 
publications that the IUCN will produce as part of its partnership with the IOC. 
The IUCN also provides cities that are interested in and/or already  
bidding for future Olympic Games with information on protected  
areas and threatened species. Generated from the online Integrated 
Biodiversity Assessment Tool, this information enables cities to screen 
potential venue sites for possible conflicts with protected areas and other 
areas of biodiversity importance (for Objective 10, see pages 65-67).
UN Climate Change
As part of our ongoing relationship 
with UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), 
we agreed to join a working group 
to research and facilitate climate 
action in sports. The long-term aim of this work is to launch a platform 
and consolidated guide for the Olympic Movement and other sporting 
organisations. 
The group began work in January 2018 with the following overarching goals:
•	 to research and document all existing standards, toolkits, guidelines and 
research to evaluate them and provide a gap analysis; and
•	 to collaborate on the role of sport as a unifying tool to drive climate 
awareness and action among sport organisations and global citizens.
International Labour Organization (ILO)
In 2017, we began working with the ILO to provide 
best-practice guidelines for the Olympic Movement on 
areas including gender equality, skills development and 
occupational safety in relation to office-based workplaces, 
construction sites and event operations. Once these 
guidelines are established, a workshop will be provided  
for the Olympic Movement in 2019.
Objective 16: Leverage Olympic Solidarity to assist NOCs in 
implementing sustainability initiatives
Olympic Solidarity is the primary vehicle through which the IOC provides practical 
help to the 206 recognised NOCs to develop and strengthen their structures, 
support their athletes, coaches and administrators, and promote the Olympic 
values through targeted programmes and financial, technical and administrative 
assistance (further information can be found on pages 68 and 69 of the  
IOC Annual Report 2017). This support enables NOCs to consolidate their 
position within the Olympic Movement and their own national sports structures, 
helps increase their autonomy, and allows them to build capacity so they are 
better able to carry out their responsibilities.
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Olympic Solidarity Plan
2017-2020
Working together  
to develop sport and  
promote its values
International Olympic Committee  
Olympic Solidarity
Villa Mon-Repos  
Parc Mon-Repos 1  
P.O. Box 1374  
1001 Lausanne  
Switzerland
Tel +41 21 621 69 00  
Fax +41 21 621 63 63
solidarity@olympic.org  
www.olympic.org
90 
Part of the Olympic Solidarity Plan 2017-2020, Olympic Solidarity’s World 
Programmes provide essential technical, financial and administrative assistance 
to NOCs for sport development activities in the following five areas:
•	 Athletes
•	 Coaches
•	 NOC management and knowledge sharing
•	 Promotion of the Olympic values
•	 Forums and special projects
Promotion of the Olympic Values
Sustainability in Sport is one of the five programmes in the area of  
the Promotion of the Olympic Values. It allows NOCs to incorporate 
sustainability principles into their policies and working methods so that  
they can set an example within their own sports community and align 
themselves with the IOC’s strategic intents for 2030 (as listed in our 
Sustainability Strategy). In combination with two other programmes within 
the Promotion of the Olympic Values field, Gender Equality and Diversity 
and Sport for Social Development, Sustainability in Sport recognises the 
importance of supporting NOCs to foster respect for the environment, 
diversity, inclusion, health and education through sport and improving 
governance. 
The collaboration with Olympic Solidarity has been a vital means of  
reaching and informing all 206 NOCs, and of offering tailored advice 
relevant to the needs of individual NOCs. Once a project has been funded 
by Olympic Solidarity, an NOC now has the added benefit of being able 
to draw on technical support from the IOC Sustainability Unit within the 
implementation phase.
As part of the 2017-2020 budget for the programmes outlined above,  
the following table lists the Sustainability in Sport projects that have  
received funding since January 2017. 
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NOC
PROJECT
START DATE
Venezuela
“Ecology days” during carnival and Easter – former athletes and the general public engage in  
beach clean-up, physical activity and education in the field of sustainability.
25.02.2017
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Olympic Venues and Environmental Sustainability 2017 – promoting sustainable sport with the wider  
public, young people and the sporting community. Organising cleaning and tree-planting activities around  
the Olympic venues and sustainability meetings with the organising committee for the European Youth Olympic 
Festival (EYOF) 2019.
22.04.2017
Ecuador
Cleaning, health and life – combining a beach clean-up event with sustainability training and physical 
activity.
20.05.2017
Ecuador
Paths of Victoria – organising walks/hikes combining physical activity and sustainability-themed games.
17.06.2017
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jahorina Ultra Trail 2017 – a major outdoor sport event (trail run) with specific measures to ensure social  
and environmental sustainability.
01.07.2017
Federated States  
of Micronesia
Greener 2018 Micronesian Games – clean-up activities focusing on 2018 Micronesia Games  
sports facilities with a strong educational element for the country’s youth and junior athletes.
15.07.2018
Brazil
Sustainability initiatives at the Brazilian Youth School Games 2017 – establishing a sustainability  
standard for sports events through three main pillars: environmental education, waste management  
and carbon neutrality.
01.09.2017
Federated States  
of Micronesia
Love Your Coast Chuuk Capacity Development and Programme Delivery – an educational programme to 
raise awareness of the importance of clean oceans and waste management.
11.09.2017
Content is presented in order of project start date.
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NOC
PROJECT
START DATE
Rwanda
Workshop aimed at educating students, professors and the sporting community on waste management at 
university campuses.
15.09.2017
Republic of Moldova
Olympic Eco Fest 2017 – a major sport for all event encouraging sustainable outdoor sports.
22.09.2017
Uganda
Sustainable Tourism in Sports – connecting various stakeholders to find strategies to use sport 
as a tool to promote sustainable tourism.
25.09.2017
Tunisia
Eco-hikes and sustainability education for young people.
25.11.2017
Tunisia
National seminar on the Sustainable Sport Pact in Tunisia – inform the main national sports stakeholders  
on what actions can be taken in terms of sustainability, presenting guidelines that the NOC has developed 
over the past few years.
21.12.2017
Central African Republic
Information and awareness workshop on waste management in university sport infrastructure.
26.12.2017
Germany
Implementing Sustainability in German Sport Organisations – connecting stakeholders through a series  
of workshops to exchange thoughts and ideas on how to promote the thinking process of athletes, 
organisers, officials and fans on the topic of sustainability.
01.01.2018
Jordan
Sport Respects Environment and Conserves Nature – turning the Olympic Preparation Centre  
into a green, educational model.
01.01.2018
Montenegro
Give the Games of the Small States of Europe 2019 a green character, while developing guidelines that  
will thereafter be taken into use by the NOC and the National Federations (NFs) for all sporting events.
01.01.2018
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Table 4: Sustainability in Sport – Olympic Solidarity-funded projects since January 2017
NOC
PROJECT
START DATE
Sierra Leone
Environmental Awareness workshop/seminar – training sporting bodies on environmental awareness, while 
proposing a context for creating valuable collaborations between national institutions, the NOC, and the 
sport actors of Sierra Leone.
06.03.2018
Uganda
Biannual National Conference on Sustainability in Sport – seminar for national sports stakeholders on the 
role of Sport in realising sustainable development in Uganda.
04.05.2018
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jahorina Ultra Trail 2018 – a major outdoor sport event (trail run) with specific measures to ensure social  
and environmental sustainability.
01.07.2018
Republic of Moldova
Olympic Eco Fest 2018 – a major sport for all event encouraging sustainable outdoor sports.
26.09.2018
Uganda
National training workshop on the Sustainable Sport & Environment Toolkit – training national sports 
stakeholders on the sustainability toolkit developed by the NOC.
08.08.2018
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Olympic Solidarity funds capacity development programmes 
in Oceania
Two capacity development programmes have been initiated under the leadership of the 
Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) and replicated throughout many countries 
within the region.
The Voices of the Athletes and Love your Coast programmes were created by ONOC  
and funded by Olympic Solidarity with joint missions to help encourage, engage and 
empower communities. One such programme is explained in further detail below.
Chuuk Island, Federated States of Micronesia, September 2017
Athletes, local government organisations, sport and private organisations  
collaborated and received sustainability training in order to educate and inspire  
445 children on the importance of their local environment and the impacts of improper 
waste management. 
Sustainable Coastlines, an international organisation, trained a core team of ten  
athletes and the NOC in order for them to carry on with the educational programme  
in the long term. Through the development in confidence and the educational delivery, 
this core team can advance important social and environmental messages using outreach 
programmes throughout the country and aim to positively impact 300 people per year 
throughout the islands. 
The educational programme was supplemented by a clean-up session that removed  
some 14,500 litres of harmful, non-biodegradable waste from the coastlines and  
provided the children with important educational opportunities. 
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Objective 17: Set up an ambassador programme including athletes  
in order to raise awareness on sustainability in sport
Still in its research and development phase, this programme will aim 
to recruit a group of highly motivated athletes to act as champions for 
sustainability and facilitate awareness-building, particularly with young 
people, through social media. The programme will be implemented through 
partnerships with UN agencies, NOCs and IFs. An educational support 
programme will be provided to the athletes so they have the information  
and knowledge to fulfil their ambassadorial roles.
To date we have reviewed similar programmes run by other organisations, 
such as the UN Goodwill Ambassador programme, and spoken with athletes 
to gain their perspectives on how best to structure our own programme. We 
have also been consulting with NOCs, IFs, our commercial partners and UN 
agencies to identify ways in which they could support the programme.
Objective 18: Profile the role of the Olympic Movement in 
sustainability through aggregation of information and  
collective reporting
In part, this objective is being fulfilled through this first IOC Sustainability 
Report, and in particular this chapter that details how we are working with 
Olympic Movement organisations to promote sustainability.
The sustainability section of our website (olympic.org/sustainability)  
provides an important platform for sharing and showcasing the work  
of other organisations, such as the IF sustainability case studies  
(for Objective 14, see pages 80-85). Our aim is for this to become an 
essential reference source on sustainability in sport, which we will continue 
to develop and promote over the coming years.
International seminars
Although we have not achieved the level of outreach we had originally 
envisaged since the publication of our Sustainability Strategy, we have  
been actively engaged in several international forums and seminars. These 
events have been valuable opportunities to profile sustainability in sport 
to a wide range of organisations, both within the sport sector and among 
international institutions working in the sustainable development arena.
We have contributed to events such as:
Sustainable Innovation in Sport
Munich, Germany February 2017; Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 2018
Launched in Paris, France during the UN Climate Change Conference 2015, 
Sustainable Innovation in Sport is now organised annually through Climate 
Action and provides an important platform for discussing sustainability 
initiatives and challenges facing the sport sector. The conference brings 
together representatives from clubs, leagues, federations, venues, 
broadcasters, the private and public sectors, the UN and NGOs. 
In 2017, we presented for the first time our new Sustainability Strategy.  
Then, in 2018, we provided the introductory keynote address. Our ten-point 
guide to establishing a sustainability programme, which summarised the 
main points in our Introduction to Sustainability guide, was successfully 
trialled during a panel session at the 2018 event. 
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Achieving SDGs through Sport 
Lausanne, Switzerland, October 2017
This seminar was part of a process initiated in 2015 by the Swiss 
Confederation and the cantons of Geneva and Vaud, brought together under 
the aegis of the Métropole lémanique agreement, the ILO and the Geneva 
Welcome Centre (CAGI). It aimed to develop synergies between the various 
international players in the Lac Léman region.
The UN has recognised the growing contribution sport can make as “an 
important enabler of sustainable development”, and acknowledges the 
importance of sustainability strategies being adopted by sports bodies. This 
has created a potential convergence of strategies and policies between 
international sport bodies and other international institutions. This seminar 
was an opportunity to share information, expertise and know-how among 
the impressive array of institutions based in our region.
Together with five IFs, we conducted an entire session on the IOC 
Sustainability Strategy and the Olympic Movement, and also discussed 
in detail the opportunities and challenges we face in the sport sector in 
delivering against the SDGs. The seminar conclusions focused on the  
need to coordinate efforts through policy coherence, reporting on progress 
and investing in skills and capacity-building, including at a local level. One 
direct outcome following this seminar has been the establishment of  
a working group by the canton of Vaud, the ILO and the IOC to discuss 
future areas of collaboration and how we can collectively support the IFs 
and the wider sporting world to further implement the SDGs.
IF Forum
Lausanne, Switzerland, November 2017
The IF Forum is an annual two-day event organised by the SportAccord 
Convention that aims to address the specific needs of over 100 Olympic  
and non-Olympic IFs with a focus on sharing best practices and knowledge. 
The 2017 edition was fully dedicated to sustainability. 
The event comprised a series of panel discussions, interactive workshops 
and the sharing of best practice among the IFs and from external topic area 
experts, using the five focus areas of the IOC’s Sustainability Strategy to 
structure the agenda.
Promoting sustainability via The Olympic Museum
The Olympic Museum has been able to profile sustainability through 
a specific exhibition and a sustainability-themed interactive game, as 
explained below.
The UN has recognised sport’s growing 
contribution as ‘an enabler of sustainable 
development’, and acknowledges the 
importance of sustainability strategies 
adopted by sports bodies.”
“
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Education on sustainability at The Olympic Museum
The Olympic Museum, which welcomes over 200,000 visitors per year, is a good 
channel through which to disseminate knowledge on sport and sustainability to the 
wider public. One of the museum’s major temporary exhibitions in 2016-2017 was  
the stadiums exhibition (Stades d’hier à demain), which used Olympic stadiums as 
a way of speaking about sustainable development. As part of this, the museum also 
implemented its first interactive multimedia game, A Serious Game, which has been 
designed to raise awareness among teens and young adults about sustainability. This 
game is now part of the museum’s permanent exhibition. 
Based on visitors’ feedback and press reviews, the exhibition successfully conveyed 
key messages on the importance of taking into account sustainability and legacy in the 
construction or renovation of stadiums. It was designed to be easily transported and 
remounted in another venue – and after its time in Lausanne, it was shipped by boat to 
Beijing en route to Nanjing, China, where it will become a permanent exhibition.
Challenges and lessons learned
While sport is the unifying thread across the Olympic Movement, its constituents 
are hugely diverse in terms of size, resources, technical understanding, regulatory 
context, geography and culture. This makes it challenging to provide a consistent 
level of service. Inevitably, therefore, we must offer more tailored support to our 
stakeholders, which in turn has implications in terms of our human resources, 
budgets and timelines for delivering on our objectives.
As with the other main spheres of our Strategy – the IOC as an organisation, 
covered in Chapter 3 (see pages 41-59), and the IOC as owner of the Olympic 
Games, in Chapter 4 (see pages 60-77) – we continually encounter false 
perceptions about sustainability being just about “green” issues, that it is 
costly and difficult to understand. As in the other areas, we seek to address 
these challenges through more effective education, advocacy, the provision 
of support tools, partnership work and highlighting cases of sustainability 
successes and the benefits gained by the organisations involved. 
Different legal requirements in countries around the world present another 
challenge. For those trying to implement sustainability initiatives – for 
example, across a single sport – the different regulatory contexts can be 
confusing and complex to the point that sometimes sustainability projects 
fail: for example, recycling initiatives or issues related to labour rights. 
However, where the IOC, an NOC and/or an IF set their own requirements 
and standards on a particular topic, we can help to raise local standards and 
start to create a more aligned global shift towards stronger environmental 
safeguards and protection for our workforce. Such approaches should 
provide positive social and environmental legacies for the host territories.
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98 
APPENDICES

Appendix 1: List of stakeholder groups and partnership arrangements
STAKEHOLDER NAME
FOCUS OF 
COLLABORATION
NATURE OF 
RELATIONSHIP
KEY TOPICS ADDRESSED (UP TO JUNE 2018)
World Union of  
Olympic Cities
Olympic legacy
Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU)  
since 2015
•	Annual meeting of Olympic cities
•	Knowledge sharing among Olympic cities, and between  
Olympic cities and the IOC
•	Documentation of legacy activation and celebration
UN General Assembly 
(UNGA)
Sport and the UN’s SDGs, 
the Olympic Truce
General collaboration since 
1992, specific MOU signed  
in 2014 with the UN 
Secretariat; the IOC has 
Observer status at the UNGA 
•	UN Resolution on the Olympic Truce in preparation for the  
Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018
UN Environment
Environmental protection
Collaboration agreement 
dating to the mid-1990s
•	IOC commitment to the Clean Seas programme 
•	Tourism awareness through UN Environment’s Green Passport platform
International Union for 
Conservation of Nature
(IUCN)
Biodiversity and the 
conservation of nature
Four-year collaboration 
agreement (2017-2020)
•	Support for the Candidature Process for the Olympic Games 2024  
and the Invitation Stage for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 through 
the provision of data and expertise
•	Compilation and publication of the IUCN Sport and Biodiversity Guide
•	Education on protected and sensitive sites, and on nature conservation
UN Climate (UN Framework 
Convention on Climate 
Change, or UNFCCC)
Climate change
Ongoing collaboration 
since 2017
•	The IOC has been part of a working group to research and facilitate 
climate action in sports, the long-term aim of which is to launch a 
platform and consolidated guide for the Olympic Movement and other 
sporting entities
•	The IOC and UN Climate have been working with the Olympic 
Movement to provide advice and support where necessary 
International Labour 
Organization (ILO)
Skills, gender equality, 
occupational safety in the 
workplace
MOU signed in 1998; 
ongoing collaboration on 
sustainability since 2017
•	Collaboration on guidelines for the Olympic Movement to provide clear 
advice and support to the NOCs and IFs
The table below provides an overview of institutional relationships and topics addressed during the reporting period.
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STAKEHOLDER NAME
FOCUS OF 
COLLABORATION
NATURE OF 
RELATIONSHIP
KEY TOPICS ADDRESSED (UP TO JUNE 2018)
World Health Organisation 
(WHO)
Promotion of physical 
activity, health promotion 
through Olympic Games, 
health emergencies 
management
MOU signed in July 2010
•	Advocacy around the promotion of physical activity and the WHO 
global action plan on Physical activity
•	Technical expertise on air and water quality 
•	Health promotion for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018
•	Surveillance, preparedness and emergency responses
•	MOU renewal (ongoing)
UNHCR, the UN Refugee 
Agency (formerly  
the UN Office of the  
High Commissioner  
for Refugees)
Refugee protection  
and social integration 
through sport
25 years of cooperation
•	Sport for Protection toolkit developed in collaboration between the 
UNHCR, Terre des Hommes Foundation and the IOC 
•	IOC advocacy around refugees’ protection and integration across sport 
through various international platforms, such as the three-year grass-
roots sport programmes (2016-2018) for refugees that aim to provide 
education and safe places to practice sport; see Olympic Refuge –  
Safe Spaces for Sport, compiled by the Olympic Refuge Foundation
•	Olympic Solidarity financial support for the Refugee Olympic Team 
through scholarships and logistical support
•	The High Commissioner is the vice-chair of the Olympic Refuge 
Foundation Board; all the decisions are made in consultation with  
the UNHCR team
United Nations Educational, 
Scientific and Cultural 
Organization (UNESCO)
Promotion of quality 
physical education and 
value-based education, 
promotion of good 
governance and integrity 
in sport, protection of 
clean athletes and anti-
doping, sport and the UN’s 
Sustainable Development 
Goals (SDGs), gender 
equality and inclusive 
access to sport
Cooperation since the 
beginning of the 1990s 
at policy-influencing and 
technical levels
•	IOC positioning around the Sixth International Conference of Ministers 
and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport 
(MINEPS VI)
•	Piloting of quality physical education policy framework
•	Exchange of information and technical expertise around good 
governance, integrity, anti-doping, SDGs and gender equality
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STAKEHOLDER NAME
FOCUS OF 
COLLABORATION
NATURE OF 
RELATIONSHIP
KEY TOPICS ADDRESSED (UP TO JUNE 2018)
Office of the UN High 
Commissioner for Human 
Rights (OHCHR)
Sport and respect for and 
promotion of human rights
Collaboration since 2010
•	UN Human Rights Council Resolution on sport and human rights 
•	Exchange of technical expertise on human rights-related issues in sport 
(LGBTI, right to health, anti-discrimination)
UN Women
Gender equality and the 
empowerment of women
MOU renewed in 2017
covering advocacy, grass-
roots and communications 
collaborations around 
women in sport
•	One Win Leads to Another programme in Brazil now entering its second 
phase; the next step of the programme developed in  
2015-2016 around the Olympic Games Rio 2016
•	We are currently studying to replicate this programme in Argentina 
International Criminal Police 
Organization (INTERPOL)
Integrity in sport
MOU signed in 2014;
ongoing partnership 
contract for an awareness-
raising programme (2015-
2020)
•	Publication of Handbook on Protecting Sport from Competition 
Manipulation (May 2016)
•	Joint workshops with national authorities to promote integrity in sport 
(manipulation of competitions and corruption in sport)
UN Office on Drugs and 
Crime (UNODC)
Integrity in sport
Contract for a study 
and development of a 
model for the protection 
of whistle-blowers; 
UNODC has participated 
in the awareness-raising 
programme with INTERPOL 
(see above)
•	Criminal aspects of the manipulation of competitions
UN Office on Drugs and 
Crime (UNODC), Council 
of Europe, the G20 & the 
founding partners of IPACS 
(CoE, IOC, OECD and the 
UK), and the UNODC
Integrity in sport
International Partnership 
against Corruption in 
Sport (IPACS) founded 
in July 2017; the IOC is a 
founding member, together 
with UNODC, Council of 
Europe, the G20 and the 
UK government
•	Guidance on how to reduce the risk of corruption in public  
procurement in the context of major sport events, how to ensure 
transparency and integrity when awarding sport events, and how  
to promote the convergence of the existing good governance 
frameworks, starting from the critical measures that are relevant to 
mitigate the risk of corruption
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STAKEHOLDER NAME
FOCUS OF 
COLLABORATION
NATURE OF 
RELATIONSHIP
KEY TOPICS ADDRESSED (UP TO JUNE 2018)
Council of Europe and the 
European Commission
Integrity in sport
Keep Crime Out of Sport 
(KCOOS) partnership 
between the IOC and  
these institutions
(2016-2019)
•	Education on the prevention of manipulation of competitions
The European Olympic 
Committees (EOC) and the 
European Commission
Integrity in sport
The IOC is a partner in the 
EU-funded Single Points of 
Contact for Sports Integrity 
(POINTS) project 
•	Creation of a network of integrity contacts among the European NOCs
European Commission
Integrity in sport
The IOC has been part 
of EU-organised working 
groups since 2012
•	Good governance, manipulation of competition, anti-corruption
Organisation for Economic 
Co-operation and 
Development (OECD)
Local development 
benefits from sport events, 
measurement of impacts 
from sport events
Collaboration since 2017 
(no formal agreement)
•	IOC participation in the consultation process that led to the creation 
of the OECD’s Recommendation of the Council on Global Events and 
Local Development
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Our assessment of materiality (see pages 18-20) has included the continual process of taking note of the views and expectations of our stakeholders, such 
as National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs) and selected non-governmental organisations (NGOs).  
The table below summarises the types of topics and issues that they have raised over the reporting period, and how we have related these matters to  
our Sustainability Strategy and other material topics covered in this report.
It is notable that all topics and issues raised by external organisations and individuals relate to the Olympic Games. In most cases these are matters directly 
under the responsibility of the OCOG in question and our role has been to pass on information to the OCOG, seek clarifications, discuss the issues and/or 
facilitate contacts between the OCOG and those who had raised the matters. We have not received any direct representations related to the wider Olympic 
Movement and matters to do with the IOC as an organisation have primarily been raised from internal sources.
TYPES OF TOPICS 
AND ISSUES RAISED 
BY STAKEHOLDERS
RAISED 
BY
IN RELATION TO
RELEVANCE TO IOC 
SUSTAINABILITY 
STRATEGY OR OTHER 
MATERIAL TOPICS
DECISIONS AND/OR  
FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS
IOC
OLYMPIC 
GAMES
OLYMPIC 
MOVEMENT
Construction in sensitive/
natural areas
NGOs
X
Infrastructure and  
natural sites
•	Specific issue passed on to OCOGs for 
information and response
•	Dialogue opened between OCOGs and NGOs
•	Meetings between the IOC, OCOGs and NGOs
Sustainable sourcing – 
timber, seafood, livestock
NGOs
 
X
Sourcing and  
resource management
•	Specific issue passed on to OCOGs for 
information and response
•	Dialogue opened between OCOGs and NGOs
•	Meetings between the IOC, OCOGs and NGOs
Construction worker safety
NGOs
X
Workforce
•	Specific issue passed on to OCOGs for 
information and response
•	Dialogue opened between OCOGs and NGOs
•	Individual cases addressed through official 
OCOG grievance mechanism
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Appendix 2: Material issues raised by stakeholders

TYPE OF TOPICS AND 
ISSUES RAISED BY 
STAKEHOLDERS
RAISED 
BY
IN RELATION TO
RELEVANCE TO IOC 
SUSTAINABILITY 
STRATEGY OR OTHER 
MATERIAL TOPICS
DECISIONS AND/OR  
FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS
IOC
OLYMPIC 
GAMES
OLYMPIC 
MOVEMENT
Water quality of natural 
outdoor competition venues
IFs
X
Infrastructure and  
natural sites
•	Round-table discussions with the IOC, relevant 
IFs and the World Health Organization (WHO)
•	Set of common criteria and way forward agreed
Input into consultation 
process not taken into 
consideration 
NGOs
X
Not applicable
•	Specific issue passed on to OCOGs for 
information and response
•	Dialogue opened between OCOGs and NGOs 
•	Meeting between the IOC and NGO
Material used for  
sport equipment
UN  
agency  
academics
X
Sourcing and  
resource management
•	Dialogue opened between the IOC, the relevant 
UN agency and IF to discuss solutions
Labour rights
Labour union 
bodies
X
Workforce
IOC policies on  
human rights
•	Specific issue passed on to OCOGs for 
information and response
•	Dialogue opened between OCOGs and NGOs
•	Meetings between OCOG and labour union 
bodies 
Impact of Olympic  
House’s construction  
on fishing activities
Local 
fishermen
X
Infrastructure and  
natural sites
•	The IOC modified the layout of its water pumping 
duct in order to prevent any negative impacts on 
fishing activities
Additional measures  
wanted for waste reduction
IOC staff
X
Sourcing and  
resource management
•	Additional measures to be implemented in new 
IOC headquarters building (mid-2019) identified
More visible sustainability 
leadership
IOC staff
X
Overall implementation 
of our sustainability 
programme
•	Internal sustainability education and  
training started
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Appendices

This appendix provides quantitative data on our activities that mostly relate to the IOC as an organisation (see Chapter 3, pages 41-59) and sustainability 
objectives 1-8. For details of the number and location of the IOC buildings to which much of this data refers, see page 112.
Energy conversion factors sourced from SIA 2031 (www.domo-energie.ch/fr/page.asp?Id=81) and the Swiss Federal Office for Energy (OFEN). 
Note: During the third quarter of 2016, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Olympic Channel Services (OCS) moved to a new office building in Madrid, and one  
new warehouse replaced two former warehouses. The high energy use in 2016 can be explained by the fact that during this period of transition, several buildings were  
rented at the same time.
ENERGY USE
Energy consumption within the organisation 
ENERGY USE
LAUSANNE
MADRID
2016
2017
2016
2017
Total fuel consumption within the 
organisation from non-renewable sources
Natural gas (buildings): 
2,123,764 kWh
Petrol (owned vehicles): 
29,320 litres
Natural gas (buildings): 
2,435,418 kWh
Diesel oil (buildings): 1,655 
litres
Petrol (owned vehicles): 
29,204 litres
Natural gas (buildings): 
1,694,446 kWh
Petrol (owned vehicles): 
4,310 litres
Natural gas (buildings): 
798,034 kWh
Petrol (owned vehicles): 
2,832 litres
Total fuel consumption within the 
organisation from renewable sources
0
0
0
0
Total electricity consumption
3,511,585 kWh from  
the local grid, 90% of 
which is certified from 
renewable sources
3,760,528 kWh from  
the local grid, 90% of  
which is certified from 
renewable sources
3,028,428 kWh from  
the local grid
3,369,821 kWh from  
the local grid
Total heating consumption
0
0
0
0
Total cooling consumption
0
0
0
0
Total steam consumption
0
0
0
0
Energy sold
0
0
0
0
Total energy consumption
20,288,505 MJ
22,307,223 MJ
17,002,530 MJ
15,004,399 MJ
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Appendices
Appendix 3: Additional data

Lausanne
Disposal methods have been determined based on information provided  
by our waste disposal contractors. All waste types are classified as  
“non-hazardous waste” except inert waste and electronic waste.  
Electronic waste is classified as “hazardous waste”. Waste produced by  
IOC events held outside of the IOC’s premises is not accounted for in the 
above table, as it is not managed by the IOC. The data should be considered 
as minimum values, as certain waste streams that are reused or recycled (such 
as electronic waste) are currently not fully quantified due to a lack of accurate 
measurement. We are working with our waste management contractors to 
improve the measurement and reporting of waste production data.
MANAGEMENT 
METHOD
LAUSANNE WASTE
MADRID WASTE
2016
2017
2016
2017
Recycled
5.5t of wood 
490t of mixed waste from exhibitions 
140,000 PET bottles 
3.4t of printing paper 
360,000 coffee capsules
9.2t from Olympic House construction site
11t of wood
534t of mixed waste from exhibitions
150,000 PET bottles
4.1t of printing paper
212,000 coffee capsules
670t from Olympic House construction site
2.4t of electronic waste
0.3t of glass
4.6t of paper
69kg of plastic
Other waste streams 
not measured in 2016
3.5t of paper
660kg of plastic
120kg of metal
50kg of glass
27kg of electronic 
waste
Used for biogas and 
compost production
42t of food waste
47t of food waste
13t of used oils
None
None
Recovered  
(energy recovery)
45t of non-recyclable office waste
4.7t from Olympic House construction site
87t of non-recyclable office waste 
21t from Olympic House construction site
Other waste streams 
not measured in 2016
None
Incinerated
Other waste streams 
not measured in 2016
None
Landfilled
70kg of inert waste (construction waste)
290kg of inert waste (construction waste)
None
None
Madrid
Disposal methods have been determined based on information provided by our 
waste disposal contractors. All waste types are classified as “non-hazardous 
waste” except electronic waste, which is classified as “hazardous waste”. 
New measurement processes have been implemented since 2017, through  
the move to the new buildings and as part of the ISO 14001 management 
system. As a result, the figures for 2017 are more accurate than the incomplete 
figures for 2016.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
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The large increase in freight in 2017 compared to 2016 is mostly attributable  
to the IOC Session in Lima, Peru in September 2017 and to the shipment  
of material to PyeongChang, Republic of Korea, at the end of 2017, in 
preparation for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
SCOPE 1  
GHG 
EMISSIONS
SCOPE 2  
GHG 
EMISSIONS
SCOPE 3  
GHG 
EMISSIONS
TOTAL GHG 
EMISSIONS
2016
983t CO2e  
(2%)
986t CO2e  
(2%)
51,934t CO2e 
(96%)
53,903t CO2e
2017
973t CO2e  
(2%)
1,353t CO2e 
(3%)
43,769t CO2e 
(95%)
46,095t CO2e
As per the GHG Protocol, greenhouse gas emissions are categorised into  
three groups, or “scopes”. Scope 1 covers direct emission sources (for 
example, fuel used in company vehicles), Scope 2 covers indirect emissions 
from purchased energy, and Scope 3 covers other indirect emissions due to  
an organisation’s activities. 
LAUSANNE
MADRID
2016
2017
2016
2017
Road freight
5.3t
0
850t
1,034t
Sea freight
11t
85t
655t
1,011t
Air freight
66t
52t
221t
117t
NB: Distances travelled are also accounted for in order to calculate the  
carbon footprint.
GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) EMISSIONS
Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions
Methodological notes for greenhouse gas emissions data:
•	 The reporting covers all greenhouse gases covered by the  
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.
•	 The consolidation method is based on the financial control of all  
IOC entities included in the scope of this report.
•	 Databases and conversion factors are mainly from DEFRA (2016 or 2017) 
for air travel, electric mix and fuels. ECOINVENT 2.2 is used for most  
other categories.
FREIGHT
Tonnes of materials shipped by the IOC 
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STATUS AS OF 31 DEC 2017
LAUSANNE
MADRID
PERMANENT
TEMPORARY
PERMANENT
TEMPORARY
Europe
398.75
50
194.72
–
Asia
11.70
4
19.71
–
America
42.60
10
26.95
–
Oceania
11.00
1.7
8
–
Africa & Middle East
9.00
1
5
–
EMPLOYMENT, DIVERSITY & NON-DISCRIMINATION
Information on employees and other workers
Data on employment is presented as Full Time Equivalents (FTE). 
Data presented in the tables below exclude drivers employed by the IOC as  
well as personnel working on behalf of the IOC but under employment contracts 
with an external agency; these two categories represented approximately  
70 FTE for Lausanne and Madrid at the end of 2017, but can vary significantly 
due to the cyclical nature of our activities.
STATUS AS OF 31 DEC 2017
LAUSANNE
MADRID
MEN
WOMEN
MEN
WOMEN
By employment contract
Permanent
209.50
263.55
159.70
94.68
Temporary
30.7
36
–
–
By employment type
Full time
237
236
159.70
94.68
Part time
9.2
57.55
–
–
Employees per employment contract, employment type and gender:
Employees per geographical region and per employment contract:
During the Olympic Games, OBS hires a significant proportion 
of freelance consultants, university students, production crew 
members, technical vendors, catering suppliers, and logistics and 
transportation personnel. These workers are not considered as 
temporary employees, which is why they are not included in the 
below data. In 2017, OBS hired external personnel from these 
categories for the fit-out of the International Broadcast Centre 
(IBC) in PyeongChang, and for different installation works and the 
set-up of logistical operations in the Republic of Korea.
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108

LAUSANNE
MADRID
TOTAL HIRES  
IN 2017
TOTAL TURNOVER  
IN 2017*
TOTAL HIRES  
IN 2017
TOTAL TURNOVER  
IN 2017***
TOTAL
48
25
61
21
Per age group
Under 30
20
2
15
3
30-50
28
17
46
18
Over 50
0
6**
0
0
Per gender
Men
26
10
31
12
Women
22
15
30
9
Per region
Europe
38
20
45
15
America
3
5
10
4
Oceania
3
0
5
2
Africa & Middle East
2
0
1
0
Asia
2
0
0
0
New employee hires and employee turnover  
(permanent and temporary contracts)
* Number of leavers during the year (open-ended contracts only)
** Including 2 retirements
*** Number of leavers during the year
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LAUSANNE
MADRID
2017
2017
Employees entitled to parental leave,  
by gender
22 (W+M)
7 (all M)
Employees that took parental leave,  
by gender
14 (W)
8 (M)
7 (all M)
Employees that returned to work in the 
reporting period after parental leave ended,  
by gender
14 (W)
8 (M)
7 (all M)
Employees that returned to work after parental 
leave ended and that were still employed 12 
months after their return to work, by gender
14 (W)
8 (M)
5 (all M)
Return to work and retention rates of 
employees that took parental leave, by gender
No data
No data
Diversity of governance bodies and employees
	
Gender diversity
STATUS AS OF 31 JULY 2018
% WOMEN
% MEN
IOC Members*
30
70
IOC Executive Board members
27
73
IOC Commission members
38
62
* Covering the 97 active IOC Members
STATUS AS OF  
31 DECEMBER 2017
% WOMEN
% MEN
Employees from 
Lausanne-based 
entities
Overall
55
45
Directors
25
75
Senior managers
38
62
Managers
63
37
Staff
63
37
Trainees
25
75
Employees from 
Madrid-based 
entities
Senior 
management 
team
13
87
Overall
39
61
Parental leave
M = Men
W = Women
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Age diversity
STATUS AS OF 31 JULY 2018
UNDER 30
30-50
OVER 50
IOC Members*
3%
22%
75%
IOC Executive Board members
0%
7%
93%
STATUS AS OF 31 DECEMBER 2017
UNDER 30
30-50
OVER 50
Employees from  
Lausanne-based entities
14%
67%
19%
Employees from  
Madrid-based entities
10%
77%
14%
* Covering the 97 active IOC Members
Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men
	
Lausanne
Not assessed in 2017. It will be assessed from 2019 as part of a project 
called Compensation & Benefits, which is itself embedded in the IOC’s 
People Management 2020 programme. For Madrid, see table opposite.
STATUS AS OF 31 DECEMBER 2017
EMPLOYEE POSITION TYPES 
(AS PER THE RELEVANT 
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS)
BASIC SALARY RATIO, 
WOMEN TO MEN*
OBS
High university graduate
60%
Middle university graduate
87%
1st level officer
108%
2nd level officer
95%
Designer
77%
Various trades
No women
Admin support
102%
Systems analyst
No women
Porter/messenger
No women
OCS
1st level chief
101%
2nd level chief
90%
Admin support
No men
Production assistant
100%
Assistant producer
100%
Sound operator
No men
Superior chief
No men
Various trades
No men
IT operator
81%
Admin officer
No men
Madrid
* Average basic salary of women divided by average basic salary of men (expressed as a percentage)
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111

Incidents of discrimination and corrective actions taken
We have a procedure for the management of situations involving conflict 
and/or psychological and/or sexual harassment. In the event of a persistent 
conflict situation or if the employee wishes to have access to an external 
solution, recourse to a third party is possible.
Lausanne
One case raised at the beginning of 2017 and ended in mid-2017 after 
investigations by an external expert. Case was closed and no further 
investigation was necessary.
Madrid 
None in 2017.
Percentage of total employees covered by  
collective bargaining agreements
Lausanne 
Only employees from The Olympic Museum’s restaurant are covered by a 
collective bargaining agreement, as it is required by law. This represents  
3.4 per cent of FTEs in 2017.
Madrid 
All OBS and OCS employees are covered by Spanish nationwide sector 
collective bargaining agreements. OBS employees are covered by the XVII 
Nationwide Collective Agreement for Consulting, Market and Public Opinion 
Research Companies, and OCS employees are covered by the  
2017 Nationwide Collective Agreement for the Audio-visual Production 
Industry (Technicians).
IOC buildings
Madrid
•	 1 office building
•	 1 warehouse 
Total floor area approx. 18,000 m2
Lausanne
•	 5 office buildings
•	 1 building occupied by a public 
library (Olympic Studies Centre)  
and offices
•	 1 museum building  
(The Olympic Museum) 
•	 2 warehouses
Total floor area: approx. 22,000 m2
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GRI DISCLOSURES
PAGE NUMBER(S) AND/OR URL(S)
REASONS FOR POSSIBLE OMISSIONS
General disclosures
GRI 102-1: Name of organisation
Pages 24-25
GRI 102-2: Activities, brands, products, and services
IOC Sustainability Strategy, pages 22-30
GRI 102-3: Location of headquarters
Page 42
GRI 102-4: Location of operations
Page 42
GRI 102-5: Ownership and legal form
Pages 24-25
GRI 102-6: Markets served
Not applicable
GRI 102-7: Scale of the organisation
Page 42
GRI 102-8: Information on employees and other workers
Page 108
GRI 102-9: Supply chain
Pages 46-48
GRI 102-10: Significant changes to the organisation and its 
supply chain 
Not applicable (no significant changes in 2017)
GRI 102-11: Precautionary principle or approach 
Not applicable (the IOC does not have to make 
decisions on matters that may be subject to the 
precautionary principle)
GRI 102-12: External initiatives
Pages 99-102
GRI 102-13: Membership of associations 
Pages 99-102
GRI 102-14: Statement from senior decision-maker
Pages 2-3; see also  
IOC Sustainability Strategy, page 2
GRI 102-16: Values, principles, standards, and norms of 
behaviour
Please refer to the Universal principles 
for integrity described on our website  
GRI 102-18: Governance structure
Pages 23-32
GRI 102-40: List of stakeholder groups
Pages 99-102
Appendix 4: GRI index
The table below lists all the GRI disclosures of the GRI Core Option and indicates where information can be found in the present report or in other publicly 
available information sources. Movement and matters to do with the IOC as an organisation have only been raised from internal sources.
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GRI DISCLOSURES
PAGE NUMBER(S) AND/OR URL(S)
REASONS FOR POSSIBLE OMISSIONS
GRI 102-41: Percentage of total employees covered by 
collective bargaining agreements 
Page 112
GRI 102-42: Identifying and selecting stakeholders
Page 39
GRI 102-43: Approach to stakeholder engagement
Page 39
GRI 102-44: Key topics and concerns raised
Pages 103-104
GRI 102-45: Entities included in the consolidated  
financial statements 
Page 25
GRI 102-46: Defining report content and topic boundaries 
Pages 18-21
GRI 102-47: List of material topics
Pages 18-20
GRI 102-48: Restatements of information
Not applicable (no previous Sustainability Report)
GRI 102-49: Changes in reporting
Not applicable (no previous Sustainability Report)
GRI 102-50: Reporting period
Page 21
GRI 102-51: Date of most recent report
Not applicable (no previous Sustainability Report)
GRI 102-52: Reporting cycle
Page 21
GRI 102-53: Contact point for questions regarding the report
Page 12
GRI 102-54: Claims of reporting in accordance with the  
GRI Standards
Page 18
GRI 102-55: GRI content index
Pages 113-116
GRI 102-56: External assurance
Page 117
Management approach
GRI 103-1: Explanation of material topics and their boundaries
Pages 18-20
GRI 103-2: Policies, commitments, goals and targets, 
responsibilities, resources, grievance 
mechanisms, specific actions
Pages 32-38
GRI 103-3: Evaluation of the management approach
Pages 32-33, 39-40
Economic performance
GRI 201-1: Direct economic value generated and distributed
Pages 37-38; see also the Financial 
Statements in the IOC Annual Report 2017
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115
GRI DISCLOSURES
PAGE NUMBER(S) AND/OR URL(S)
REASONS FOR POSSIBLE OMISSIONS
Indirect economic impacts
Specific disclosure on the IOC’s strategic approach to 
maximising Olympic legacy
Page 73
GRI disclosures for this topic are not relevant to 
the IOC’s indirect economic impacts that were 
considered material for this report, therefore a 
specific disclosure has been defined
Procurement practices
GRI 204-1: Proportion of spending on local suppliers
Pages 46-48
Anti-corruption
GRI 205-2: Communication and training about  
anti-corruption policies and procedures
Pages 34-35
Energy
GRI 302-1: Energy consumption within the organisation
Page 105
Emissions
GRI 305-1: Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions
Page 107
GRI 305-2: Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions
Page 107
GRI 305-3: Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions
Page 107
Effluents and waste
GRI 306-2: Waste by type and disposal method
Page 106
Supplier environmental and social assessment
GRI 308-2 and 414-1: New suppliers that were screened 
using environmental and social criteria
Pages 46-48
Although a number of existing and new suppliers 
have been screened, the overall percentage of 
new suppliers screened is currently not available. 
We are planning to put in place a process to 
record such information by 2020, as part of the 
IOC sustainable sourcing approach. 
Employment
GRI 401-1: New employee hires and employee turnover 
Page 109
GRI 401-3: Parental leave 
Page 110
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116
GRI DISCLOSURES
PAGE NUMBER(S) AND/OR URL(S)
REASONS FOR POSSIBLE OMISSIONS
Diversity and equal opportunity
GRI 405-1: Diversity of governance bodies and employees 
Pages 110-111
GRI 405-2: Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women 
to men 
Page 111
Available only for OBS and OCS operations  
in Madrid.
For Lausanne-based entities: Not assessed  
in 2017 but will be as of 2019 as part of the 
People Management 2020 programme.
Non-discrimination
GRI 406-1: Incidents of discrimination and corrective  
actions taken 
Page 112
Human rights assessment
GRI 412-3: Significant investment agreements and contracts 
that include human rights clauses or that 
underwent human rights screening
Pages 35-36, 46-48, 66, 68
The number and percentage of significant 
investment agreements and contracts that  
include such clauses is not yet monitored 
accurately, however significant progress was 
made in 2017-2018:
•	 In 2017, the IOC strengthened the Host City 
Contract’s provisions on the protection of 
human rights (see page 68).
•	 In 2018, a reference to the UN Guiding 
Principles on Business and Human Rights  
was also included in the IOC template 
framework agreement with service providers. 
•	 The newly developed IOC Supplier Code, 
a binding document for new IOC suppliers, 
includes a clause on human rights (see  
page 46).
•	 A sustainability due diligence review process 
for new TOP Partners, covering the topic  
of human rights, was introduced in 2017  
(see page 48). 
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117
Appendix 5: Assurance statement by ERM CVS 
Independent Assurance Statement to the  
International Olympic Committee 
ERM Certification and Verification Services (ERM CVS) was engaged by the 
International Olympic Committee (IOC) to provide limited assurance in relation 
to the IOC Sustainability Report – October 2018 (the Report) as set out below.  
Engagement summary
Scope of our 
assurance 
engagement
Whether 
a.	the reported progress against the IOC’s 18 
sustainability objectives for 2020 are fairly 
presented, in all material respects, with the 
reporting criteria; and
b.	the report is consistent with the  
GRI Reporting Principles  
Reporting 
criteria
IOC Sustainability Strategy (October 2017)  
and GRI 101 – Foundation (2016)
Assurance 
standard
ERM CVS’ assurance methodology, based on the 
International Standard on Assurance Engagements 
ISAE 3000 (Revised).
Assurance level
Limited assurance.
Respective 
responsibilities
The IOC is responsible for preparing the information 
and data and for its correct presentation in its 
reporting to third parties, including disclosure of the 
reporting criteria and boundary.  
ERM CVS’s responsibility is to provide conclusions on 
the agreed scope based on the assurance activities 
performed and exercising our professional judgement. 
Our conclusions
Based on our activities, nothing has come to our attention to indicate that 
the reported progress against the IOC’s 18 sustainability objectives for 2020 
are not fairly presented, in all material respects, with the reporting criteria.
Based on our activities, nothing has come to our attention to indicate that 
the Report is not consistent with the GRI Reporting Principles.
Our assurance activities 
We planned and performed our work to obtain all the information and 
explanations that we believe were necessary to provide a basis for our 
assurance conclusions. 
A multi-disciplinary team of assurance specialists performed the following 
activities: 
 
•	 A review of external media reporting relating to the IOC to identify 
relevant sustainability issues in the reporting period.
•	 Visits to IOC offices in Lausanne, Switzerland and discussions with 
relevant staff at OBS-OCS operations in Madrid, Spain to:

| interview relevant staff to understand the IOC Sustainability 
Strategy, policies and management systems in relation to the IOC’s 
sustainability objectives and the Report; and

| interview relevant staff and third parties to understand and evaluate 
the data management systems and processes (including IT systems 
and internal review processes) used for collecting and reporting 
relevant data and other information.
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118
•	 Reviewing selected evidence related to the design, content and 
information selection, and production of the Report in accordance 
with the GRI Report Content Principles, including the stakeholder 
engagement and materiality processes.
•	 Reviewing selected evidence related to the collection, consolidation 
and production of the information in the Report in accordance with the 
GRI Report Quality Principles.  
•	 Reviewing the presentation of information relevant to the scope of our 
work in the Report to ensure consistency with our findings.
The limitations of our engagement
The reliability of the assured information is subject to inherent uncertainties, 
given the available methods for determining, collecting, calculating or 
estimating the underlying information. It is important to understand our 
assurance conclusions in this context. 
Our observations 
We have provided the IOC with a separate detailed management report.  
Without affecting the conclusions presented above, we have the following 
key observations:
•	 Continue to institutionalise sustainability throughout the organisation 
by incorporating accountability and responsibilities for delivery of the 
Sustainability Strategy into job descriptions and evaluation processes; 
and
•	 The IOC recognises that the collection and reporting of reliable and 
consistent performance information needed to monitor and measure 
the progress against all sustainability objectives is challenging.  
Further work is needed to define what success and achievement 
against objectives relating to the IOC as owner of the Olympic  
Games and as leader of the Olympic Movement will look like and to 
ensure stakeholders understand this by continuing to transparently 
disclose and discuss developments and measures of progress in the 
public domain. 
Jennifer Iansen-Rogers 
Head of Corporate Assurance Services  
5 October 2018
ERM Certification and Verification Services, London
•	www.ermcvs.com; email: post@ermcvs.com 
ERM CVS is a member of the ERM Group. The work that ERM CVS 
conducts for clients is solely related to independent assurance activities  
and auditor training. Our processes are designed and implemented to 
ensure that the work we undertake with clients is free from bias and  
conflict of interest.  ERM CVS and the ERM staff that have undertaken  
this engagement work have provided no consultancy related services  
to the IOC in any respect.
IOC Sustainability Report
Appendices

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE 
Château de Vidy, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland
www.olympic.org