Environment

The following are the IOCC's recommendations to the Olympic Organizers and their partners about the environment:

  1. Olympic bid efforts should not detrimentally affect air and water quality in the region. Winter Games can be particularly destructive to the environment since they take place outdoors in relatively isolated, snow-covered mountains that are then suddenly overwhelmed with increased automobile traffic, waste production and energy consumption. Increased infrastructure, attractions and accommodations will undoubtedly have environmental repercussions. The bid process should incorporate waste reduction and recycling systems with respect to planning for its multiple sites. In addition, the bid process should consider more environmentally friendly methods of transportation (walking, transit and ridesharing).
  2. Environmental legislation should not be vetoed in the name of Olympic development. Environmental studies are frequently deemed too lengthy during the accelerated period of development that occurs with the Olympics. As a result, the Bid Corporation and its partners must ensure that any development resulting from the 2010 Winter Olympics be subject to the environmental assessment act. Environmental legislation and enforcement of that legislation is necessary in order to maintain environmental standards.
  3. Energy conservation strategies must be incorporated from the onset of planning for the 2010 Winter Games. In order to ensure that environmental impacts are minimized, the Bid Corporation and its partners must develop a comprehensive waste management program including the minimization of waste generation and recycling all appropriate materials.