Dirty Olympics. History is full of negative examples, particularly in recent years. The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, were a clear example of this problem. What in the intentions, as stated by Russia, should have been zero-impact games turned out to be an environmental disaster. The huge construction sites have had very little sustainable, in fact, widespread cases of illegal landfills for construction materials, use of animal migration territories as construction areas, spillage of waste into the waters and generally a decrease in quality have been documented of life for all the inhabitants of the region.
Brazil has also been no different. The Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games in were an environmental disaster, in particular as regards the water of the city, which was highly polluted before the Olympics, during the event a real health hazard. But environmental activists in Rio are more worried about the on-going health risk to the local population. The deadline to clean up Guanarbara Bay, which is heavily contaminated with raw sewage, has been postponed to Commitments to avoid unnecessary construction also seemed to have been swept aside when Rio chose not to update existing golf courses, but construct a new one - on the protected Marapendi nature reserve.
Still, some infrastructure built for the games will have a lasting impact on the city that could help to bring down its carbon emissions. Ani Dasgupta is director of the World Resources Institute's Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, which has advised the Rio authorities on the construction on a new bus rapid transport network, light rail line and extension of the city's metro. The city forecasts that the new infrastructure will increase daily commutes by mass transit from 18 percent to 63 percent.
Still, the project is not free of controversy. Boykoff says that while the new metro line has made a real difference to workers living in poorer areas in the north of the city, most of the development is focused on routes to the new Olympic facilities, which don't address the city's most pressing transport needs.
Lago says the Olympic development spurred investment in new, largely wealthy neighborhoods around the Olympic site, rather than focusing on creating a more compact, sustainable city.
Part of the problem, Lago says, has been that the International Olympic Committee IOC insists on standards for the games' facilities that make it difficult to use existing infrastructure and tends to favor expensive bids with more opportunities for investors.
Rio made a lot of mistakes, "but we need to see it's also the IOC that creates the wrong incentives. The Olympic Games always has problems. But I think in Rio we have really showcased these problems. Climate experts are meeting in Geneva to consider how to keep to the warming limits agreed last year in Paris. But with the planet breaking temperature records, scientists warn we may soon overshoot the target. Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro is a dumping ground for sewage, trash and heavy metals.
It's also where the Olympic sailing competitions will be held. Athletes and residents are worried about possible health impacts. Falling commodity prices are prompting land grabs by mining and forestry companies - often by force.
Rio had hoped to utilize the Olympic movement to improve water conditions by capturing and treating 80 percent of the sewage flowing into the Bay Rio, The feelings of optimism and joy that followed Rio winning the Olympic bid in decreased as the Summer Olympics approached.
Just as supporters danced in the streets as the Olympics were granted to Rio in , thousands showed their displeasure with the Olympics coming to Rio by protesting just days before the Games were to start Phillips, In addition, progress on the water treatment plan stalled and the goal of achieving 80 percent water sanitation went unmet Branch, Just 49 days before the opening ceremonies for the Olympics, Francisco Dornelles, the Governor of Rio, was forced to declare a state of emergency and request support from the Brazilian government Watts, This case focuses on the environmental challenges for Rio, specifically examining water quality and the potential health impact the water had on athletes competing in water sports during the Summer Olympics.
Water quality was selected as a focus of this case for three reasons: 1 the Rio Olympic Organizing Committee listed water quality as the top priority for environmental initiatives for the Games, 2 water quality and pollution had direct implications for competitors at the Games, and 3 water quality evaluations received heavy media attention. These three reasons make the quality of water at the Games a useful example from which to examine sustainability issues at mega sport events.
The case begins by discussing the initial bid, and outlines the goals and plans Rio had in place for the Games. The case concludes by discussing the reactions from athletes during the Games. Figure 1: A view of Guanabara Bay. This photo shows what Guanabara Bay looks like from above looking down into it. In the public domain. In , Rio submitted its bid to host the Summer Olympics.
This section of the bid outlined specific goals, objectives, and tactics for making the Games environmentally sustainable. Included among the goals were initiatives for environmental awareness, renewable energy use and management, improving air quality, soil protection, utilizing sustainable designs and construction techniques, promoting reforestation, and improving solid waste management Rio, To ensure these sustainability efforts would be completed, the Brazilian Olympic Committee was able to create a new environmentally focused government organization called the Olympic Sustainability Division.
It is important to note that water conservation and treatment was listed as the top sustainability initiative. Water treatment was especially important for the Games, as Rio has struggled to provide clean water and clean waterways for its residents.
Cleaning up the water was initially promoted as a project that would become one of the legacies of the Games Geiling, The center point of the water conservation goals was to clean the famous Guanabara Bay, which is commonly heralded as one of the seven natural wonders in the world National Geographic, With over nine million people living in the Guanabara Bay watershed, and without adequate water filtration or treatment facilities, the water in the rivers leading to the Bay as well as the Bay itself, have become polluted over time.
The goal for cleaning this pollution in the Olympic bid was to have 80 percent of the sewage and waste going into the Guanabara watershed to be collected and treated by Rio, Challenges after winning the bid. In order to reach the goal of capturing, filtering, and ultimately cleaning the water deposited in the Guanabara Bay, the city of Rio had many obstacles to overcome. When the Games began in August of , less than 45 percent of the water going into the Bay was actually being cleaned Nolen, This section outlines the economic, political, and cultural difficulties that possibly prevented the city of Rio and the Rio Organizing Committee from reaching its goal to achieve 80 percent water cleanliness.
Economic challenges. Both the city of Rio as well as Rio State are highly dependent on oil production for city and state revenues.
The government owned and operated the oil company, called Petrobras, which produces, refines, and ships oil both within Brazil and internationally. In the years leading up to the Olympic bid in , Petrobras announced that it had discovered a substantial oil field off the Brazilian coastline, much of which was alongside Rio Soares, As a result, Rio City and Rio State had healthy revenue streams coming in through the royalties connected with Petrobras.
With the steady revenue coming into the city and the excitement from winning the Olympic bid, the city experienced a wave of optimism and enthusiasm. However, the expected increase in revenues did not materialize as expected.
First, the increase in revenues coming from the new oil reserves off the Brazilian coast proved to be more challenging than initially expected. This was partially due to the difficulty of acquiring oil from deep-water ocean reservoirs, which requires large investments in equipment and technology, both of which slowed the progress of extracting and refining the oil, and increased debt for Petrobras Soares, Second, in the price of oil decreased dramatically on an international scale, thereby reducing the value of oil as a commodity Soares, The increase in cost to extract the new oil field, combined with the decrease in revenues as a result of decreasing oil values internationally, left Petrobras with mounting debt and decreasing revenues.
Subsequently, Rio was left with heavy financial commitments and less than expected royalties and tax collections. As a result of the circumstances described above, Rio state and the city of Rio were in a financial crisis. However, this money only prevented mass chaos during the Olympic Games. Public employees had already gone weeks and months without pay, basic public services had been neglected, and the city was in risk of defaulting on its debt service Nolen, During this economic downturn and fiscal crisis, the focus on environmental sustainability and cleaning the waterways lost support, especially from a financial standpoint.
Political forces. In addition to economic challenges facing the Rio Games, political forces also stymied the progression of generating clean water. It is important to note that the sewage flowing into Guanabara Bay originates from 16 different municipalities in and around Rio with each district having its own standards and utility practices in place Nolen, Therefore, any attempt to unite the different utilities and standards for clean water would need to first be a result of concerted effort from these various branches in the area.
A federal policy was proposed, but has been waiting in the government system for years, and as of the writing of this paper continues to be stalled in the approval process Nolen, Rio has the authority on its own to build and manage the infrastructure needed to clean up the waterways as well. The slow government legislation and a lack of local resources to contribute to the clean water project are minor factors when compared to the scandals and corruption that plagued the Brazilian government at all levels during the build-up to the Rio Games Nolen, The corruption conditions even led to the impeachment of the president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff Romero, b , as well as the investigation into former president of Brazil, Luiz da Silva Romero, a.
Even without the corruption and bureaucracy that slowed the progress toward clean water for Rio, the idea of clean water is simply politically less popular. The process of creating the infrastructure to make clean water a reality would require laying the pipework throughout the city. Such an undertaking may require moving homes in less wealthy parts of the city, removing or altering city roads, as well as taking on a difficult process of installing plumbing into homes that are semi-permanent Nolen, As a result, many local politicians prefer to allocate resources to business, education, public parks, or other items that create more political capital than a sewage sanitation project.
Cultural expectations. Along with political and economic challenges that inhibit the progress toward clean water, there are also cultural norms in Rio that prevent support for clean water projects.
Many residents in Rio consider the presence of a working toilet as classifying for sanitary living conditions Nolen, In these instances, there is less of a worry about where the toilet is flushing out to, and more of a concern that it is flushing at all. As a result, many bathrooms have plumbing that flush waste into local diches and waterways, thereby polluting the waterways Nolen, Some residents do not have expectations for more sanitation than the current level Nolen, This cultural expectation for sanitation does not only apply to residents living in the favelas impoverished areas of town historically occupied by emancipated slaves.
Some reports indicate that even wealthy areas of town in which new construction has taken place often do not connect to sanitation lines Nolen, One reason why residents do not worry about sanitation is that they do not trust the state sanitation department to complete the work Nolen, In addition, it is expensive to pay for sewage treatment and the monthly utilities, while piping the waste in local waterways remains penalty free. As a result, cultural barriers exist which prevent water sanitation from becoming an issue that citizens demand or even expect.
Figure 2: Eco-barriers being used to stop trash from entering Guanabara Bay. The challenges described above illustrate some of the reasons why Rio was unable to clean the waterways as they had promised.
Just weeks away from the start of the Olympics, athletes were still worried about how polluted and untreated water might create undesirable health outcomes that in turn might affect their performance Barnes, Even with this knowledge, athletes who competed in water events e.
The Rio Olympic Organizing Committee was unable to meet its promise of capturing, treating, and cleaning 80 percent of the water entering Guanabara Bay. Thus, last minute efforts were necessary to prepare the sites for competition. The first method for capturing trash and debris from entering Guanabara Bay was to place eco-barriers across the 17 rivers flowing into the Bay Niiler, Each eco-barrier was a wide net meant to stop any large pieces of trash, appliances, or other debris from floating further into the bay.
In addition to the eco-barriers, 12 specialized boats were put in place in the Bay itself to find and remove trash Niiler, These specialized boats, named eco-barcos, patrolled the waterways each day collecting trash and removing it from the water. To help guide the eco-barcos and ensure the largest and most detrimental pieces of trash had been removed from the Bay, helicopters patrolled the air, searching the water for large pieces of trash and debris e.
If a large piece of trash was found, then the eco-barcos were directed to the location and would scoop out the trash. Although these efforts reduced the chances of collisions between watercraft and large trash items, it did little to reduce bacterial or viral counts in the water. However, once the Games began, relatively few athletes reported being ill. One of the main contributions to reduced illness was that athletes took numerous proactive steps to avoid illness, such as bathing immediately after being in the water, using hand sanitizer frequently, keeping water bottles inside zip-lock containers to avoid contact with polluted water sources, and in general avoiding direct contact with the water when possible Axon, Despite these efforts, some athletes competing in Guanabara Bay did become ill.
Because few athletes reported illnesses that inhibited competition, and perhaps as a result of fatigue from addressing the issue frequently, many athletes at the Games reported that the conditions had been exaggerated Baxter, ; Blount, Nonetheless, now that the Olympics have concluded, Rio must deal with the challenges of facing a struggling economy, a large fiscal deficit, lingering issues of water quality, and a lack of sanitation Romero, b.
This case is intended for use with undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in a sport and sustainability, event management, facility management, or other general sport management course. The case study will likely be most effective when paired with a course module or section examining the Olympic movement, sustainability in event management, or course sections pairing sustainability with management practices. The case study purposefully focuses on water quality in Rio for three main reasons: 1 the Rio Organizing Committee officially listed it as the top environmental initiative, 2 the direct potential for health consequences for competitors, and 3 the heavy media attention on this topic.
However, it is clear that water quality is not the only environmental initiative for sport and event managers to consider. Issues of air pollution, long-term plans for venues, energy conservation, waste management, and using sustainable raw materials are also important issues in relation to environmental sustainability and sport. This case is meant to provide insight into the background and context of a single environmental issue, which may then be leveraged to discuss other important environmental issues more broadly.
To this end, the teaching note outlines broad learning objectives of the case, foundational background literature on sustainability and the Olympic movement, as well as potential classroom use and discussion questions. Naturally, instructors should tailor the case to fit their needs in the classroom.
This section is intended to provide a brief background of sport domains in which sustainability has raised some concerns as well as the history of environmental sustainability in the Olympics. In addition, it discusses the steps the IOC has taken to emphasize the importance of addressing the environment when planning for and staging the Games. The background note also discusses the implications of the governing structure of the Olympics, and briefly evaluates the consequences of having no enforcement protocols in place to ensure sustainability efforts are completed.
Environmental sustainability in sport. The notion of sustainability is defined as the condition of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs World Commission on Environment and Development, In other words, it refers to meeting the needs of people while taking into consideration available resources. Sustainability is a concept that has become ubiquitous in sport and recreation policy and practice. Over the last couple of decades, the interest in examining the impact of sport on the physical environment has remained strong.
There are many sports that have the potential for negatively impacting the environment. The relationship between golf and the environment is natural since the sport often takes place in scenic natural settings. However, there have been concerns associated with deforestation, erosion, large-scale applications of chemicals e. The above examples emphasize the need to carefully consider the type of outdoor activities undertaken and the sensitivity of habitats in which those activities take place.
Issues related to environmental sustainability have also been expressed in other sport settings. For example, Kellison and Kim have looked at professional sports, focusing on the design of green facilities. The regular efforts of maintaining and managing a sport facility and team are resource intense and require substantial use of energy in particular related to the power needs of a venue and field maintenance Covello, Environmental sustainability in the context of mega-events and the Olympics has also attracted the attention of scholars Chernushenko, For example, Cantelon and Letters outlined the creation of an environmental policy as the third pillar of the Olympic movement.
They concluded that through the engagement of stakeholders and implementing effective stakeholder management strategies, organizations can better understand and clarify the different dimensions of the environmental challenges they face.
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