- Main
- →
- Legacy
- →
- Environment
Strategy
Strategy
Introduction
In times when the threat of global climate changes becomes increasingly evident, when the mankind is facing consequences of short-sighted treatment of nature and unrestrained consumption of natural resources, everyone is aware of responsibility for their own contribution to interaction with sensitive and frail environment. Climatic changes influence all aspects of social life and affect interests of all residents of the planet. Ideas of the world community regarding necessary long-term environmental protection of our habitat are the cornerstone in sustainable development concept.
In the context of sustainable development concept, particularly regarding environment protection the role and responsibility of sports are highlighted.
Being in focus of social life, sport creates the basis for family recreation, through generations it carries the values of discipline and fostering, fair contest and mutual help, initiative and responsibility, joy and dignity, respect and support.
Sport is a sphere of direct and intense contact between people and environment. Favorable weather conditions, clean air, water, soil and vegetative cover together with contemplation of the nature permeated with harmony enable people to open up their full abilities, to feel joy in making efforts and achieving, to be imbued with the feelings of beauty and perfection.
All kinds of sports, from simple entertainment in the open air to professional athletes’ contests depend directly on the environmental conditions and status. At the same time sports industry is among the factors which significantly influence the environment and pollute it.
It is obvious that people who organize sports events and take part in sports activities are directly responsible for environmental safety. They should personify cautious treatment of nature and use all means to promote environmentally safe solutions and actions to prevent violations of generally recognized right of everyone for favorable environment.
Being a mighty humanistic movement in the world, Olympic movement recognizes an exceptional interrelation between sport and nature, and it identifies for itself three key major dimensions: sport, culture and environment.
The goal of Olympism is to make sports everywhere conducive of harmonious mankind development in order to contribute to creation of peaceful society that will care for retaining human dignity.
Olympic movement constantly involves measures to conver the Games to a true example of sustainable development concept implementation and a powerful tool to spread the knowledge about its prospectively fruitful, beneficial and successful execution.
Agenda XXI (Olympic Movement’s Agenda 21)2, adopted by the Olympic movement in 1999 inspires the Games organizers to put every effort towards a more profound integration of sustainable development and ecological responsibility principles into all aspects of preparations for the Games and during the Games.
Successful experience in implementing environment and sustainability programs within the framework of the Games organization already exists for 15 years since the first «green» Games in Lillehammer in 1994 were held.
This experience has enabled the IOC to provide the Games organizers with necessary methodological tool for planning and action — IOC Guide on sports, environment and sustainable development published in 2006.
Keeping to the Olympic Charter and the IOC guidelines, aspiring to embody the Olympic movement’s motto: «Citius, Altius, Fortiusl», Sochi 2014 organizers are preparing innovative Winter Games embodying sustainable development concept in harmony with the unique nature of Sochi National Park Caucasian Black Sea coastal area and leaving a rich «green» legacy for Russia and its future generations.
It requires Games organizers not only to retain and carefully treat Sochi environment but also to improve its condition in Olympic capital simultaneously with a considerable economic growth of the whole Region, new opportunities for its people with the aim of turning it into a world class alpine climatic resort.
Organizers of the Winter Games of 2014 are using the existing capabilities to prepare for, and carry out innovative Games that will actualize sustainable development concept in harmony with unique natural conditions and leave a rich «green» legacy.
Basics of the Sochi 2014 Strategy were laid down by the «Gateway to the Future!» concept that has won at the bidding campaign stage and has brought the Games to the city of Sochi. Further development of Sochi 2014 strategic vision has stimulated formation of the «Olympic Diamond» concept offering to perceive 2014 Games as innovative Olympic and Paralympic Games which would express the character of Russia and bring about positive changes inspiring the whole world.
«Olympic diamond» has defined the following nine most important values for the 2014 Olympic project:This approach has made it possible for organizers of the Games to formulate their essential strategic goals, including, among others, Sochi environment improvement.
Sochi 2014 Environmental Strategy- integrates environment protection sustainability principles into all phases of planned preparation for, and delivery of the Winter Games of 2014;
- creates an integrated basement in order to unite collaborative efforts of stakeholders and identifies a common vision of the final results Sochi 2014 Games are to demonstrate to the whole world; defines general strategic goals for Sochi 2014 regarding sustainable development in harmony with nature;
- outlines Sochi 2014 policies for implementing environment and sustainability principles in each functionality of preparation for, and delivery of the Games;
- specifies mission, role and responsibilities of Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee regarding enforced sustainability principles in unique natural conditions in order to ensure Sochi 2014 development in harmony with nature;
- describes main means and ways instrumental for Sochi 2014 to achieve strategic goals regarding sustainable development in harmony with nature;
- proposes fundamentals of planned approach towards formation of the Games 2014 «green» legacy.
This Strategy is a live and evolving instrument for planning, and it improves under changing conditions in pursuit of optimal solutions.
Sochi 2014 Environmental Strategy is a general stakeholder engagement platform to commence dialogues with stakeholders on environment and sustainability issues and also is a communication tool to profile environmental commitments and projects.Sochi 2014 Environmental strategy is the outline of the whole scope of Sochi 2014 commitments, responsibilities, main activities and prognosis results in the field of environment. Due to its general character Sochi 2014 Environmental strategy is a cornerstone of further strategic planning.
Organizers of the Games are looking forward to take up the best, front-edge and accountable methods for the Olympic project’s worthy implementation throughout the whole period of preparations for, and delivery of the Olympics. In doing so they take an open position for inviting all stakeholders and partiesconcernedand ready to make contribution to sustainable development of Sochi in harmony with nature.Sochi 2014 Environmental Strategy is based on existing plans and programmes. It considers interests of all stakeholders and is instrumented through concrete decisions taken in the framework of comprehensive Olympic facilities’ and infrastructure development projects.
Structure of Sochi 2014 Environmental Strategy is based on four main dimensions with symbolic names:The Strategy is furthering this concept in each of the three main phases of the Games project (preparation, staging, post-Games period). For each of the mentioned stages we formulate clear vision of Sochi 2014 commitments, of the efforts towards fulfillment of those commitments and of the contemplated results that would form the Games’ legacy.
Sochi 2014 Environmental strategy does not contain detailed plans for each of the dimensions. Instead it leaves space for in-depth detailedplanning. Respective plans, as far as they are drawn up, shall constitute an indispensable addenda to Sochi 2014 Environmental strategic approach.| Games in harmony with nature | Climate neutral Games | Zero Waste Games | Enlighnenment Games | |
| Games Prepararions |
|
|
|
|
| Games Staging |
|
|
|
|
| Post-Games Period |
|
|
|
|
Delivering and staging the Winter Games in Sochi unique natural environment has set ambitious objectives and goals for the organizers: to preserve the invaluable nature of Sochi — one of the Russian pristine regions including protected natural complexes of the Sochi National Park and bordering upon Caucasian Biosphere Reserve (property of UNESCO world-scale natural heritage «Western Caucasus»);
- to improve Sochi urban environment by significant development of regional infrastructure;
- to join efforts and resources of all stakeholders for the best delivery of the Games and for positive legacy of the Games for future generations.
The following are to become the key components of Sochi 2014 material legacy that as much as possible express the values of sustainable development and personify exemplary sparing attitudes towards the environment:
- Ultra-modern and environmentally safe sport facilities forming the first national winter sport centre to be used for both professional athletes’ training and for mass sporting culture development in the whole Russia;
- Regional infrastructure upgrade, offering environmentally efficient solutions that are badly needed for the development of Sochi region in the following dimensions:
- national winter sports center infrastructure;
- year-round touristic center and the world class resort infrastructure;
- transport and logistics;
- electricity generation and supplies, including heat supplies;
- water supplies, water draining and sewage, waste water treatment;
- waste management including separate waste collection and processing of waste into recoverable raw materials.
- Sochi urban environment quality improvement;
- forming the base for strengthening environmental frame of the Region, for environmental monitoring and natural phenomena forecasting, environmental awareness and environmental consciousness;
- expanding territory of the specially protected natural areas (SPNA) in Sochi region;
Unique positive potential of the Games shall be helpful in forming rich non-material legacy of Sochi 2014 Games through: laying foundation for implementation of new Russian philosophy of investing into industrialized countries for the benefit of future generations;
- values of sustainable development anchored in Russian national idea;
- environmental culture enhancement and environmental awareness development;
- substantial improvement of national practices in establishing and implementing environmental standards;
- comprehensive environmental governance and management tools created and implemented;
- sustainability management system complying to IS0140001 standard introduced;
- pooling top-of-the-line ideas and efforts of all stakeholders, including representatives from general public and from non-governmental organizations in achieving the best results possible in integrating sustainable development principles into all aspects of preparation and delivery of the Games as well as of Olympic facilities transformation for subsequent usage thereof;
- social integration of persons with a disability via a set of special programs.
- Games in Harmony with Nature
- Climate Neutral Games
- Zero Waste Games
- Enlightenment Games
- Managing Sustainable Development.
Sochi 2014 Environmental Strategy is a live and evolving framework instrument for planning, and it being improved and developed under changing conditions in pursuit of optimal solutions.