INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

programmes. The past experience of Lillehammer 1994 should act as
a portrayal of the new approaches to Olympic Education for
Environmental Concerns. Then there will be presented a short
overview on the Nagano 1998, Salt Lake City 2002 and the coming
Games of Turin 2006. These cases will be seen in their possibilities to
promote environmental education especially when these practices are
related to big events.
1994 – Olympic Winter Game of Lillehammer
The Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (LOOC) made
the first “green” games in the history of the Olympic Games. It is
extraordinary that not only the environment has been incorporated into
the Games, but that environmental pressure groups have been part of
the planning process as well.
The Olympic Organizing Committee worked in partnership with
environmentalist organisations (represented by Project Environmentfriendly
Olympics), the Ministry of the Environment, the
municipalities that were hosting the Winter Olympics and the Country
Governor to create specific techniques to minimise negative effects to
the environment.
This cooperation came from a conflict between the LOOC and the
environmental organisations. Afterwards, they decided to put together
their efforts, they worked on: management and responsibility for the
environment; surroundings, architecture and choice of materials;
environmental audits; official sponsors and suppliers; cultural and
environmental events; information and school projects;
accommodation and catering; transportation; and energy saving,
administration, operations and maintenance.
The LOOC strove to achieve results in its environmental
commitment in LOOC, locally, nationally and internationally. They
hoped that the environmental work they initiated would be followedup
by the IOC and future Olympic organisers.
The LOOC was the first Olympic Organizing Committee to
formulate environmental goals. According to the official report they
guided their projects following five goals, they were: to create
environmental awareness; to take regional considerations into
account; to create sustainable development and business growth; to
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