The 29th Olympic Sport - Recycling

In the run-up to the start of the XXVIIIth Olympiad that opens in Athens Friday, the organizers are promoting recycling as a new sport, the 29th sport at the Olympic Games. A new television and radio ad airing this week promotes the recycling program in the Olympic and Paralympic Venues.

The audiovisual material presents the "sport" and the qualification requirements - passion, persistence and will, the organizing committee said. Through shots taken at the Tae Kwon Do Olympic venue in Faliro, "the genuine values that we all have to follow in order to achieve unique distinction are shown."

The organizers are aiming to ensure all venues are litter-free, to reduce waste to be taken to the landfill site, to maximize waste sorting and recycling, and to inform and raise people's awareness of environmentally sustainable waste management.

Spectators and all those participating in the Games can find pairs of bins at the Olympic and Paralympic venues - a blue one for recyclable material such as plastic bottles, plastic and paper glasses, and a green for all other waste. Coca Cola is the sponsor for both the bins and the radio and TV spots.

Athenians have been practicing recycling at the Olympic venues. (Photo courtesy Athens 2004)

In this effort, the Athens organizers have the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

"Respect for nature was a feature of ancient Greek civilization," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP executive director.

"In those early Games victors were crowned with an olive wreath. The olive wreath remains as an Olympic symbol to this day, a reminder of the precious link between humankind and the natural environment that we must learn to better preserve and cherish," he said.

As part of its Sport and the Environment Program, UNEP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Athens 2004 Olympic Organizing Committee (ATHOC) on June 3 to implement a series of public awareness activities.

The anti-littering campaign currently being broadcast on Greek television fulfills that MOU, and it will continue to run in various forms throughout the Games. Brochures will be distributed at all venues to underline the connection between sport and the environment.

As part of an environmental leg of the Olympic Torch Relay, supported by ATHOC, UNEP's Director of Communications, Eric Falt, will carry the Olympic Flame on August 12, alongside Jean-Michel Cousteau, world-renowned marine explorer and president of Ocean Futures Society, and Tony Diamantidis, executive director of the Athens 2004 Environmental Foundation.

As the Athens Games approach, UNEP has kept in close contact with the organizers and with Greek NGOs, many of whom have been critical of the Athens 2004 environmental record.

While it is generally accepted that the Games will contribute towards the improvement of the transport network and coastal areas in and around Athens and promote public awareness on key environmental issues, the NGOs have maintained that areas such as energy consumption and the building of eco-friendly facilities have fallen below expectations.

"With hindsight, better communication between the organizers and key stakeholders, particularly environmental NGOs, would have provided valuable input to the preparation and hosting of the Games," Toepfer said.

"It is important that the 2004 Games set the stage for a wider discussion on the comprehensive integration of environmental considerations in future Games," Toepfer said.

"It is my hope that these assessments will be a valuable tool for other host cities of the Olympic Games," he said. "The Games in Athens should spur efforts by other countries to do more to ensure that their Games are organized in an environmentally friendly way so that the environment is indeed seen as the third pillar of Olympism." - Environmental News Service