Sport and Environment Commission

The Sport and Environment Commission was formed in 1995, after the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games, in response to the Norwegian policy of conducting a “Green” Olympics – quite a feat at the Olympic Winter Games. But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) thought the Lillehammer policies towards the environment were important and formed the commission to help institute similar policies in international sport. The commission had IOC members, members from the National Olympic Committees, the International Federations, and the athletes, and independent members who acted as consultants on the environment. The commission succeeded in having the following section added to the Olympic Charter, “[The IOC’s role is] to encourage and support a responsible concern for environmental issues, to promote sustainable development in sport and to require that the Olympic Games are held accordingly.” The Sport and Environment Commission was disbanded in the 2010s and its role subsumed within the new Sustainability and Legacy Commission.