Taking nature into account for the Olympic movement

The article utilizes IOC archival materials to discuss how different actors and parties called on the IOC to address environmental issues from the early 1970s through the early 1990s (mostly in the context of holding the Olympics).

It broadly outlines and synthesizes the IOC's response (or lack thereof) and concludes that the IOC was primarily reactive rather than proactive until the late 1980s. The article highlights the 1980s as the key decade that prompted the IOC to (finally) look into developing an environmental policy.

Well-supported, transnational movements against hosting the Olympics ("No Olympics") emerged; prior to this period, most movements had remained local. The article investigates these and culminates with an exploration of internal correspondance and decisions that led to a draft policy coming from a group of environmental activists working with the Lillehammer '94 organizing committee.

The strength of the article is in the original research that points to how the pressure of "No Olympics" protests led to an internal IOC crisis and, eventually, institutional policy change.

CITE: Shuman, A., & Vonnard, P. (2025) Taking Nature into Account? The International Olympic Committee Confronts Environmental Issues, 1960s–1990s. Journal of Olympic Studies, 6 (1): 5–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5406/26396025.6.1.02

#Olympics #Protests #Governance #Activism #Policy