Introduction
Nowadays, organizing and holding a mega-sporting event not only necessitates significant infrastructure and venue funding, but it may also be harmful to the surrounding ecosystem and climatic conditions. Although such sports events are generally helpful to the economic development and economic growth of the hosting country, the event’s setting has negative consequences for wildlife, natural resources, including water sources and woodlands, and the environment. As a result, ecological preservation has been more ingrained in the policy of International Sports Organizations (ISOs). Many entities of various sizes in the athletic realm are already actively involved in multiple facets of sustainable practices. As a result, the changes in the global sports events will continue to be implemented in the future, setting specific limits on the location and features of the event.
Selection of the Environment-friendly Hosting Country
The first trend that global sports events will endure is the selection of the hosting country based on environment-friendly criteria. As International Sports Organizations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA decide which countries or cities will hold certain sporting events and under what circumstances (Fermeglia, 2017). Sports Organizations have begun to play a dominant role in global warming management in past years by integrating green policy qualifying criteria that need to be achieved by applicant nations and municipalities (Fermeglia, 2017). These institutions have created a set of legal measures to mitigate the detrimental effect of events, giving them an opportunity to play a distinct role in the regulation of global environmental-related legislation. The Olympic committee and FIFA were driven to promote the notion of ‘Green Games’ due to rising concerns over global climatic changes (Fermeglia, 2017). As a result, host countries that desire to stage the Olympic Games or FIFA must implement specific legal tools to fit the criteria and guarantee climate commitments. This is an approach in IOC’s risk management since by selecting an environmentally-friendly host country or city, they receive less tension from the authorities and audience.
Adherence to the Agenda for Sustainable Development
Furthermore, another development that will pertain to staging global sports events involves adherence to the Agenda for Sustainable Development that concern both organizations and countries. According to the International Olympic Committee, 193 world leaders accepted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 at the UN summit (IOC, n.d.). The agenda involved a focus on five “Ps”: “People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships” (IOC, n.d.). The plan includes 17 development efforts, and every nation must take measures to create growth while safeguarding the environment, according to the targets (IOC, n.d.). This is essential since it demonstrates that sustainability is a global issue that affects everyone. It is not only the responsibility of wealthy, industrialized countries. The agenda gives a structure for governments, corporations, and other organizations to outline how they aim to promote sustainable development and address the world’s most pressing environmental concerns.
Many of the objectives are strongly connected with the Olympic Movement, which promotes sports and Olympic values in communities around the world. Moreover, event sponsorship during the Olympics helps promote companies, such as Coca-Cola or Visa, that also have their environmental visions and goals, including The World Without Waste and sustainable packaging. Per the IOC statement, they think that the Olympic Movement can strengthen its commitment to the realization of the mentioned targets in the agenda by further incorporating sustainability in their programs and building relationships with appropriate entities (IOC, n.d.). The United Nations General Assembly reaffirmed the importance of sport in achieving sustainable development goals (IOC, n.d.). As it is mentioned in the 2030 agenda, sport is a crucial facilitator of environmental sustainability (IOC, n.d.). Thus, in the near future, there will be a trend of acknowledgment of sport through its expanding role in achieving progress and stability, and the organizations, as well as host countries, will have to comply with the agendas released by the United Nations General Assembly to achieve a shared vision.
The Scope of Event
An additional trend that will likely manifest itself with a stronger force in the future is the focus on legacy rather than financial profit and the size of the event. In this sense, due to environmental concerns, global sports events will most likely be of smaller sizes compared to the scopes of events today. One of the examples can be shown through the hosting of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar. This can be considered a pivotal moment for Qatar, a nation that is in the stage of progress with a smaller population and abundant gas reserves (Meza Talavera et al., 2017). It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to host a global event while also leaving a great legacy for the nation.
Nevertheless, the planning, implementation, and consequences of such events are complex projects with long-term effects on the economy, culture, and ecosystem of the host state and surrounding region. Qatar’s proposal suggested a new FIFA architectural compact concept centered on a single metropolitan area, intending to host the world’s first carbon-neutral event (Meza Talavera et al., 2017). As a result, local organizers are implementing environmentally friendly materials and urban development conceptual frameworks and actively support the principle of legacies premised on Qatar’s National Vision 2030, which was necessitated by the UN, as seen previously.
Campaigns that Focus on Sustainability
Lastly, the trend that will be adopted by many organizations and hosting countries and cities are the focus on exploited sources for a better cause in order to protect the environment. For example, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the program, NHL Green program, launched in 2010, is among the most praised entities associated with environmental activities. Due to its low cost and ability to reach the target audience and bring awareness, promotional media is used, such as Instagram.
Recently, the water supply shortages and the negative effect of global warming made the issue of natural sources especially acute. Water is important to the League since it is required in large quantities to construct and maintain the hockey areas upon which 30-member teams compete (Kellison, 2017). As a result, in 2011, the League launched the Gallons for Goals initiative, in which the organization donates 1,000 gallons of fresh water to a severely dried river per goal being scored during the season (Kellison, 2017). The club contributed more than 6 million gallons of water in its first year by acquiring water restoration certificates (WRC), which were subsequently used to fund a variety of water resource restoration initiatives (Kellison, 2017). This way, while this global sports event’s scope involves the exploitation of water sources, the organization aims to have a positive impact by implementing green initiatives of maintaining water levels in local rivers and promoting such approaches.
Conclusion
Hence, sustainability, environmental issues, and greenwashing play an immense role in today’s society. In this sense, global sports events serve as a conduit for awareness and promotion of taking part in the trends aimed at preserving the ecosystems. While today there are trends aimed at organizations and hosting countries to incorporate changes, they are likely to strengthen in the near future. The first trend that will be implemented is the selection of host countries and cities based on their environment-friendly conditions. Another trend will involve compliance with the common visions and their help to promote sustainable development. Furthermore, the hosting countries and cities will be expected to narrow the scale of the event, opting for more optimal sizes and eco-friendly technologies. Lastly, organizations and hosting entities will be expected to have a direct impact on the environment via green initiatives.
References
Fermeglia, M. (2017). The show must be green: Hosting mega-sporting events in the climate change context. Carbon & Climate Law Review, 100-109.
IOC. (n.d.). Sustainability essentials. International Olympic Committee.
Kellison, T. B. (2017). Routledge handbook of sport and the environment. Routledge.
Meza Talavera, A., Al-Ghamdi, S. G., & Koç, M. (2019). Sustainability in mega-events: Beyond Qatar 2022. Sustainability, 11(22), 1-27.