As of 2085 only 33 cities would be able to host the Olympic Games

In 2016, The Christian Science Monitor published an article on the determinant of climate change in sports activities worldwide, such as the Olympic Games. This means that by the year 2085 only 25 European cities and 8 non-European cities, members of the International Olympic Committee, may have favorable environmental conditions to host the games. Among the cities in which this type of event could be carried out are Saint Petersburg in Russia, Riga in Latvia, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia. On the contrary, cities such as Istanbul, Madrid, Rome, Paris and Budapest will not have the right conditions to develop these sports activities from that year.

Leer en español: Los eventos deportivos comienzan a sufrir las consecuencias del cambio climático

The amount of money invested in the organization of a sporting event of the level of the Olympic Games is quite big. For this reason, according to the professor of public health, Kirk Smith, of the University of California, Berkeley, it is relevant that "if you are going to spend billions of dollars to organize an event, you will want to have a level of certainty that you are not going to have to cancel it at the last minute. "Even so, it is mentioned that Tokyo, venue for the games in 2020, will be able to carry them out, but that in the future it probably will not be able to do it again.

And the Games in Tokyo?

This year, different countries have been affected by the heat wave that has arisen. This is the case of Japan, because according to CNN the average temperature during this time of year has been higher than normal by 12 celcius degrees, being the highest temperature recorded in this country (41° C). This could increase and directly affect the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, because not only should the optimal conditions to develop them be taken IGNORE INTO account, but also the environmental footprint that can be generated after the planning and completion of the sporting event.

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Las June, Kyodo News published an article about the goal of the games in 2020 Tokyo: a "carbon-free" edition. By the year 2020, the action plan that was established in the Paris Agreement will start to rule, so games that are friendly to the environment are fundamental. According to this media, Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games launched an operation plan, announcing its intention to work "towards zero carbon" during the preparations for the Games and during its execution.

How to make the Tokyo 2020 Games friendly to the environment?

Some strategies mentioned by the director of sustainability of Tokyo 2020, Yuki Arata, are that the electricity used in the places of competition and accommodation of the athletes is generated by renewable energies. As for the goal of "zero waste", it is expected to achieve a 99% reuse or recycling in all objects and goods purchased for the delivery of the Games. In this way, it is intended to minimize the waste of resources and the degradation of ecosystems.

Kyodo News assures that "approximately 5,000 medals that will be awarded at the Games will be forged from recycled precious metals recovered from smart phones, digital cameras, computers and other small electronic devices delivered by consumers for that purpose in a program that has already begun, motivating citizens to participate in the process. "

LatinAmerican Post | Camila Quimbay
Translated from "Los eventos deportivos comienzan a sufrir las consecuencias del cambio climático"