Student Takeover Season: The Olympics and the SDGs

In this student takeover episode  of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton  we delve into the Olympic Games' environmental, economic, and social impacts, exploring its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We begin with an overview of the Olympics' global significance and the governance by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This highlights the challenges faced by host cities in meeting sustainability objectives, with a focus on the 2016 Rio Games and its environmental shortcomings. Despite these challenges, examples of positive environmental impacts from past Games, such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, are also discussed. The economic perspective examines the short-term economic benefits and long-term challenges associated with hosting the Olympics, touching upon gentrification and social polarization. Social impacts, including housing-related problems and discrimination, are further explored, emphasizing the need for the Olympics to address social inequalities and promote inclusivity. Furthermore, the episode examines upcoming Games such as Paris 2024, which have committed to prioritizing sustainability and inclusivity, aiming to establish a new benchmark for Olympic events.For further reading on this topic, we’d recommend the most recent 2021 IOC Sustainability Report as it outlines future sustainability objectives and their links to the SDGs. We’d also suggest the research paper ‘An Evaluation of the Sustainability of the Olympic Games’ which is listed below. It is a thought-provoking resource that weighs up the positives and negatives of the games from a sustainability perspective, great for those who want to explore the topic in depth.Recommended Readings/ Resources:An evaluation of the sustainability of the Olympic Games | Nature SustainabilityIOC sustainability report 2021 / International Olympic Committee - Olympic World Library (olympics.com)Episode host: Isabella HunnisettEpisode guests: Daniel Atherton-Palmer, Amaya Brown, Ethan Dean-Roberts, Scott Griffin, Anastasia MaragosThis episode is part of the Student Takeover Season on the Meliora Podcast, and is a group project from the University of Southampton 'Global Sustainability Challenges' module.