Paris initially committed to carbon-neutral Olympic and Paralympic Games (OPG) before limiting itself to a 55% reduction in carbon emissions. On average, the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games had a carbon footprint equivalent to that of 625,000 French people's emissions in 2023.

In the latest update on its carbon strategy, the Cojop (Olympic and Paralympic Organisation Committee for Paris 2024) announced that it had gone beyond, with emissions on their way to equate to ”only” that of around 282,000 French people - which is still a lot.

One of the biggest sources of carbon emissions for the Olympics is infrastructure. Each edition of the Games usually has a preparation phase where mass construction takes place to host the games, athletes and tourists.

With thousands of athletes and visitors coming from all over the world, another issue is carbon emissions from international flights. This year, 14,900 athletes are participating, with more than 15 million people expected to travel to France for the two competitions.

Then, it goes down to finer details, with the carbon footprint related to meals, water bottles, merchandise and custom-made national Olympic kits.

This year, efforts were targeted at each of these emission posts. 95% of this year's infrastructure already exists or is temporary, with certain events being hosted in other French cities. The aquatic centre and the Olympic and Paralympic Village were built from scratch but will serve local communities after the summer. Low-carbon materials were used for necessary construction and renovation.

Promises were also made regarding the Games themselves. The Committee committed to serving meals, of which 60% would be vegetarian, with 80% of produce sourced in France. It seems like the dietary changes didn't make the athletes happy: they complained that the plant-based food didn't provide them with enough protein necessary to sustain the immense physical pressure of the Games.

As for equipment and goods, 90% are to be retaken or reused after the Games, in line with the International Olympic Committee's new guidelines.

Even with the best of intentions, not everything went according to plan. Some promises were scaled down, such as reducing the quantity of single-use plastics by 50% compared to London 2012 instead of prohibiting their use completely. Several projects had to be redesigned due to environmental concerns (for insights, check out our podcast episode).

Then there is international travel: more than one in ten visitors to the Games are travelling from abroad. A recent report from The Shifters, a French think tank, estimates it to be nearly 78% of the carbon budget instead of a third, as predicted by the Cojop. Contacted by The European Correspondent, organisers disagreed with that projection.

Another concern is athletes' cooperation on sustainability issues. While some countries embraced environmental efforts, pledging to send their delegations by train, others are undermining these efforts by sending 2,500 mobile air conditioning units to the Olympic Village, fearing the water-cooling system will be insufficient.

As the 2026 Olympics in Milano are already in preparation, how can Italy aim to exceed the Paris sustainability goals for the Winter Olympics?

Minimising travel is possible. For example, The Shifters report suggests that fanzones be set up in several cities around the world to prevent millions of people from flooding into the host city, sometimes from the other side of the world.

The other solution is to hold both visitors and athletes accountable. For the world-renowned Mont Blanc marathon, 40% of spots for the 2025 edition will be given to athletes who will travel by train, and all participants will have to fund a carbon emission compensation project. Future Olympics organisers – Milano, Los Angeles and Brisbane – could think along those lines to continue on Paris' trail.

To have carbon-neutral Olympics would probably mean not holding them at all. But drastically reducing their carbon footprint can also make a real difference, while keeping in the spirit of the Games: bringing humanity together in the spirit of excellence, sportsmanship and peace.