Environmental sustainability: Is the International Olympic Committee truly walking the talk?

This study critically reviews the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) environmental sustainability agenda through a detailed analysis of its policies, strategies, and official documents. Environmental sustainability is an urgent global concern, and given the scale and influence of the Olympic Games, the IOC is uniquely positioned to drive climate-positive change. The study questions the IOC’s genuine commitment by looking at potential mismatches between its rhetoric and tangible action, through an analysis of the policy discourse of one of sport’s most powerful institutions, owing to its influence on three spheres of activity (as an organization, as owner of the Olympic Games, and as a leader of the Olympic Movement).

The paper analyzed 84 IOC documents produced between 2012–2021, eventually focusing on a sample of 8 key texts including sustainability strategies, host city contracts, and annual reports. The data was examined using Critical Policy Discourse Analysis and reflexive thematic analysis to uncover patterns in language, power dynamics, and policy implementation. Key themes arising from the data were networks and knowledge transfer, leadership and influence, governance and accountability, and opportunities and obstacles. The study found that while the IOC demonstrates growing involvement in sustainability, its policies often include vague language, lack enforceability, and defer responsibility to others. Themes such as greenwashing, shifting power dynamics, and contradictions between stated goals and actual practices were prevalent, which undermines the positive aspects, cast doubt over authenticity and highlight a lack of policy congruence and coherence.

The authors do note that there are also signs of environmental sustainability becoming more embedded in the IOC, with objectives in the 2021 Sustainability Report being clearer, more well-defined, linked to Sustainable Development Goals, and have criteria by which they will be measured. The findings underscore the need to look beyond surface-level commitments and ensure that sustainability strategies include measurable targets, clear accountability, and genuine follow-through, in order for the IOC and other stakeholders to leverage wider social change for environmental sustainability.

CITE: Cain, A., & Callan, M. (2025). Principles in practice? A policy review of the IOC's environmental sustainability agenda. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 7, 1511092. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1511092

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