Reuters reports that the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) said Wednesday future Olympic organizers should follow Turin’s example and stage as many events as possible in cities to help protect the environment in mountain areas.
The UNEP also urged better recycling of sports venues, and that Vancouver 2010 could re-use a bobsleigh run built for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, about 670 km to the east of Vancouver.
The agency said, “contrary to some suggestions that the Winter Olympics were held too far from the mountains, Turin may in fact have shown the way toward even more environmentally friendly Winter Olympics”.
Although the UNEP praised Turin’s efforts to curb the environmental impact of the Games, there was concern about the 70 million euro bobsleigh run, which uses 48 tons of toxic ammonia as a coolant. UNEP head Klaus Toepfer said, “constructing, operating and maintaining what is effectively a huge fridge in the mountains raises many fundamental questions of sustainability”.
The report said “future organizing committees might consider re-using and upgrading existing tracks and stadia rather than building new ones if such facilities are convenient or nearby”.
