A Study of Measures for Sustainable Sport

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to diagnose the environmental pollution problems caused by sports and analyze the eco-friendly methods applied to international sporting events held in the past to explore approaches and challenges concerning the sustainable development of sports. To this end, we first analyze the environmental pollution problems caused by sports, as categorized into three types through a review of previous studies, and examine the need for an environmental ethical approach to the conflict between sports and the environment. Then, we choose the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, which the IOC considers to be the most environmentally friendly competitions, as well as FIFA’s Green Goal program as case studies and analyze the features and limitations of environmentally friendly methods in terms of planning, operation, marketing, and performance dissemination in each case to draw implications for the sustainable development of sport. This study argues that to find a fundamental solution to conflicts between sports and the environment, it is necessary to change the perception from an anthropocentric paradigm to an ecocentric paradigm and establish a new value system for the natural environment.

1. Introduction

Few people would deny that human survival and development in the 21st century are closely linked to the environment and environmental problems. Owing to scientific and technological advances, humans have established an industrialized society. However, while human society has made progress, it must confront new threats to the planet’s environment that are a byproduct of excessive production and consumption. In general, environmental preservation and economic development are considered conflicting goals. Thus, the substantial amount of resources used for industrial development has provided economic prosperity to humankind; however, at the same time, the resulting emissions and waste have been continuously destroying the natural environment [1,2]. Admittedly, environmental destruction has, to a degree, been accepted as an inevitable and justifiable sacrifice to achieve economic and industrial development. Since the Industrial Revolution, most countries have focused more on growth than on the environment, which has led to environmental pollution so serious that it not only disturbs the global ecosystem but also poses a threat to people’s lives, regardless of where on the planet they live [3].

The development of most industries has required the use of large amounts of resources, intensifying environmental degradation. The sports industry is no exception. Because sports activities necessarily involve interaction with the environment, they are tightly linked to and directly affected by it. For example, track-and-field sports are primarily affected by air pollution, and marine sports by marine pollution. This relationship also works in reverse; sports facilities themselves cause environmental pollution. As sports continue to diversify and more people enjoy sports in their daily lives, the number of sports facilities is increasing. Furthermore, as sports have been considered an indicator of national prowess since the 20th century, countries worldwide have prioritized the development of sports in their national agendas; sports facilities, large and small, have been constructed everywhere [4].

The increasing number and diversity of these facilities has also been promoted by the increasing frequency of mega sporting events promoting the globalization of sports, such as the Olympic Games, the Asian Games, and the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. To construct the facilities and infrastructure required for these sports events, large areas have been earmarked for construction, resulting in environmental damage from overdevelopment. Holding a mega sporting event, even once, consumes a significant amount of energy and necessarily causes various environmental problems, including air pollution, carbon emissions, waste generation, and water pollution [1,5]. In South Korea, the Korean government constantly encountered concerns regarding environmental destruction in the process of preparing for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang [6]. Domestic environmental groups pointed out issues resulting from the construction of golf courses and ski resorts, including indiscriminate deforestation, the loss of habitats for plants and animals, and the risk of soil runoff and landslides. In addition, they argued that the golf courses’ reckless use of pesticides and discharge of wastewater contaminated nearby rivers and groundwater [6]. Such problems are not limited to the development of sports facilities. Nonetheless, sports-related environmental issues require a different approach from general environmental problems due to the specific types of pollution linked to sports.

Environmental pollution caused by sports facilities or activities may differ depending on the type of sport but typically manifests as damage to the natural environment, noise pollution, or marine pollution. Due to the large sizes of sports stadiums, they are often built and operated on the outskirts of cities or near natural green areas. Environmental pollution and destruction from both the operation and construction of these facilities have reached a serious level. The use of vehicles to access sports facilities distant from the city center creates air pollution, while the substantial amount of waste generated from the operation of such facilities has become a significant cause of water pollution. Noises from competitive games also disturb the peaceful lives of nearby residents [1]. In addition, mountain or marine sports involving close interaction with nature are raising serious concerns regarding ecosystem destruction. In summary, sports directly affect and are affected by environmental pollution; sports and environmental problems are thus inseparable.

There have been attempts to respond to criticism of the environmental impact of sports. After the 1990 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, were criticized for being the most environmentally damaging Olympics ever, given the deforestation and destruction of plant and animal habitats that preceded them, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) amended the Olympic Charter to require all candidate host cities and countries to include an environmental protection plan in their application [5,7]. Since 1999, the IOC has been actively engaged in the global environmental movement by creating a sports environment subcommittee within the organization; moreover, Olympic host cities are also working hard to highlight the importance of holding green Olympics. FIFA, the other major international sports organization alongside the IOC, has also launched a Green Goal initiative to make World Cup matches greener, and it became the first sports federation to sign the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2016 [3,8].

Despite growing concerns about the environmental impact of the sports industry, it seems impossible to limit its expansion given its importance as a leading, high-value contemporary industry. Thus, it is urgent that we discuss ways to secure the sustainability of sports, facilitating the harmonious coexistence of sports and the environment. Unfortunately, despite all of the social interest in and increasing necessity of eco-friendly sports, research on making sports more environmentally sustainable is severely lacking. From a long-term perspective, sports’ impact on the environment may be devastating, not only to the ecosystem but also to the sports themselves. In other words, if sports threaten the environment, the environment will threaten sports in turn. Thus, we desperately need to explore measures to resolve the conflicts between sports and the environment to ensure the sustainable development of sports, which enrich our lives, while preserving the natural environment, which is the basis of all life.

Thus, in response to the criticism that sports—despite actively engaging in social issues—are moving backward on environmental issues, this study begins its inquiry with the fundamental motivation of identifying ways to make sports more environmentally sustainable. Against this backdrop, this study explores the measures and tasks that need to be undertaken to ensure the sustainable development of sports. It does so by first diagnosing environmental pollution problems caused by contemporary sports and analyzing the environmentally friendly practices that have been applied in previous international sporting events. To this end, we use a case study approach and a literature review to develop a systematic and contextual analysis of previous studies of sports and environmental problems and examine additional materials to expand knowledge in this area. Thus, the study aims to identify directions for the sustainable development of sports. The remaining sections are organized as follows. Section 2 analyzes three types of environmental pollution problems caused by sports through a review of previous studies and examines the conflict between sports and the environment from an environmental ethics perspective. In Section 3, we examine how environmentally friendly methods have been applied in the planning, marketing, and operation of international sporting events held in the past by examining online resources, reports, books, newspapers, and magazines of major international sports organizations such as the International Olympic Committee and the International Football Association. In Section 4, based on the case analysis in Section 3, we analyze the characteristics and evolutionary trends of environmental sustainability in sports and explore strategies for the sustainable development of sports from an environmental ethical perspective based on the new relationship between humans and nature. Finally, Section 5 presents future challenges for the development of environmentally sustainable sports.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Sports and Environmental Pollution

In the modern era, sports have become increasingly commercialized; sporting events have grown in scale and are now increasingly international. Thus, they require new, bigger, and more spectacular stadiums and facilities. The overdevelopment implied by the need for such sports facilities as well as their operation have caused numerous environmental problems—greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, ozone depletion, water pollution, loss of plant and animal habitats and biodiversity, and soil erosion—exposing the sports industry to criticism for being anti-environmental. Local residents may be opposed to such large-scale sporting events for these reasons [1]. For example, in 1976, local residents of Colorado, U.S., rejected Denver’s bid to host the Winter Olympics in a referendum, arguing that overdevelopment would lead to real-estate speculation, water pollution, and the destruction of wildlife habitats [9,10].

Environmental pollution caused by sports can be divided into three major types: sports activities, traveling to sports activities, and construction and maintenance of sports facilities (see

Table 1. Environmental Pollution Caused by Sports.

Category	Content	Major Environmental Pollution
Sports activities themselves	Collectivization and massification of individual physical activities	Damage to natural ecosystems
Means for sports activities	Equipment and transportation used to enjoy sports activities	Air pollution and deforestation
Facilities for sports activities	Golf courses, ski resorts, large gyms, resort facilities, etc.	Water pollution, marine pollution, soil pollution, and ecosystem destruction

). First, just as an individual pollutes the natural environment by their very existence as a living organism (intentionally or unintentionally), sports activities can pollute the environment by themselves [11]. The various physical activities that comprise sports require specific spaces, and the establishment of these spaces influences their surroundings. Even the slightest movement of a human playing a sport can determine the fate of a blade of grass, a flower, or an insect. In the past, the environmental impact of individual sports activities was minimal, but with the rapid increase in the number of people enjoying leisure and sports, sports activities have become more collective and large-scale, and the level of environmental pollution they produce is reaching serious levels.

Second, the equipment and transportation vehicles used directly and indirectly for sports affect the natural environment. Most sports facilities, such as ski slopes, golf courses, rafting sites, and campgrounds, are located away from cities and are generally accessed by car. The emissions from these vehicles contribute to air pollution. Furthermore, outdoor sports became increasingly popular as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; people believed there would be less risk of infection during outdoor sports than during indoor sports [12]. This trend has inevitably increased environmental concerns. Some of the main culprits highlighted for destroying ecosystems are cable cars and monorails (installed at the expense of forests to facilitate access for hikers) and jet skis, sailboats, mountain bikes, mountain motorcycles, etc., used for water or mountain sports [13].

Third, both the operation and construction of sports facilities cause serious environmental pollution. The construction of a sports facility requires a large space, which is often found in undeveloped natural green spaces on the outskirts of a city, inevitably leading to the destruction of the ecological environment. Thus, the construction of large-scale stadiums, gyms, golf courses, ski areas, campgrounds, etc., usually degrades natural ecosystems. The production and transportation of the materials needed for construction also create a significant environmental burden. If the site is located in a remote mountain or valley, roads and parking facilities need to be built to ensure vehicle access and facilitate transportation of construction materials, excavated soil, and felled trees. When construction is completed, the garbage and wastewater released from accommodation and recreational facilities, trails, restaurants, restrooms, and various auxiliary facilities pollute surrounding environments, disturbing ecosystems. The proper maintenance of sports facilities also negatively impacts the environment. For example, the herbicides used to keep golf courses in good condition severely pollute ecosystems [2].

Thus, sports have the potential to seriously damage the natural environment in many ways. One of the most serious threats is posed by the demand for “nature sports” (including skiing, skin scuba-diving, rock climbing, rafting, yachting, surfing, golf, paragliding, and other sports performed in an undeveloped natural environment), which is likely to increase in the future [12,13,14]. This is because urban areas are becoming increasingly polluted, and people thus increasingly want to return to nature; this desire is supported by economic affluence and leisure time [15,16]. In South Korea, the number of hikers and holidaymakers in mountainous and marine areas is increasing rapidly every year; leisure activities such as yachting, wake surfing, water skiing, golf, skiing, and camping are gaining popularity, as are new sports activities such as rock climbing, orienteering, mountain biking, and windsurfing [4]. Ironically, the natural environment is being threatened by the very people who want to enjoy nature.

As previously mentioned, the environmental threat posed by sports also threatens sports themselves. Therefore, we must find ways to resolve the conflicts between sports and the environment. In Korea, the Ministry of Environment and five professional sports organizations involved in football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and golf signed the “Memorandum of Understanding for Green Sports” in 2010 and began working actively on this issue. Through various measures, the five organizations are promoting a campaign called “Practice Green Lifestyles, Me First” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by saving resources. As part of this, they are encouraging sports spectators to use public transportation and separate garbage, developing tools to celebrate recycling, and improving pro-environmental culture [17]. In the next section, we examine case studies of exemplary green international sporting events to examine how they have engaged with their environmental responsibilities.

2.2. The Sustainable Development of Sports and Environmental Ethics

In this paper, sustainable sports refer to organized sporting events that utilize environmentally friendly methods to reduce negative environmental impacts. Sports and the environment are inseparable. The conflicts between them are caused by claims concerning the rights of the natural environment, which demand green sports, and claims concerning the rights of sports players, who require a sport-friendly environment. In an effort to reestablish the relationship between the environment and humans, a new concept has emerged to reconcile conflicts between environmental issues and economic growth—sustainable development. This concept first appeared in a report on the environment and development, “Our Common Future”, published by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987; it defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” [3,4]. This concept raises awareness that economic development should continue to meet basic human needs but not exceed environmental limits; it also calls for efforts to harmonize environmental preservation and development in all human activities.

Sustainable development has been a guiding light in solving environmental problems, although it is clearly based on a human-centered perspective, especially the perspective of current generations, under the premise of passively protecting the environment and future generations. This human-centered focus, which depends on science and technology to achieve the creation of economic wealth and resolution of environmental problems, has been criticized [18,19]. It is also unclear whether such a concept pursues sustainability for development or development for sustainability. For example, golf courses are often built by carving out hillsides; ecological reservoirs are then created to justify the golf courses’ sustainability. While creating ecological reservoirs does represent progress, it may backfire by encouraging further destruction of nature; the notion of sustainable development may be used as mere rhetoric or justification for endless development.

Sports inevitably require the use and development of environmental resources, and the consequent pollution has been justified or legitimized by the capitalist ideology that pervades modern society. The problem with environmental policies or measures adopted in sports is that they focus on reactive and prescriptive management while ignoring the production-oriented socioeconomic system that is the root cause of environmental pollution. Though it has been nearly 30 years since the UNCED presented the concept of sustainable development as the basic direction of global environmental policy, there are still few practical responses to environmental concerns, despite the fact that global environmental problems continue to worsen [19]. Thus, the scientific and technological responses to pursuing sustainable development that are typical of the existing socioeconomic system have strong limitations. We now need a new approach based on environmental ethics that aims to establish a new relationship between humans and nature. In other words, we need to change our perspective in a fundamental way from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric paradigm; the ecological crisis today is not just a problem of system or structure but relates to the values and worldviews upon which these structures and systems are based.

Jamieson points out that scientism—the belief that science will solve everything—has the effect of dismissing the idea that environmental problems relate to individual responsibility [20]. Scientism leads us to believe that we are not to blame for the problems faced by some ecosystems, and we have neither the technology nor the responsibility to correct them. In contrast, Jamieson argues that environmental pollution is not simply a challenge to the resourcefulness of scientists but calls for a reassessment of our entire way of life [20]. Thus, solving environmental problems requires reflection on the way we live rather than further development of science and technology. According to this view, the environmental problems that we face are not fundamentally scientific; they are mostly crises of the human mind. In other words, environmental problems do not inherently exist in the oceans, atmosphere, or forests but reside in our governance, value systems, and perceptions. Furthermore, there are inconsistencies in our value systems; many of us fail to comply with the values that we hold dear. Jamieson warns that we should not make the mistake of caring for the wrong patient; we need to focus on the real patients—humans and their institutions [20].

3. Case Studies: Green Sporting Events

To date, numerous creative measures have been taken to address the environmental consequences of sports. Some international sporting events have adopted sustainable practices to reduce energy waste and implement eco-friendly alternatives. In particular, the IOC has evaluated and heavily promoted the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as the most eco-friendly Olympic Games among all the Olympic Games previously held. The selected events have one feature in common: eco-friendly measures were actively adopted in the processes of planning, promoting, marketing, and performance spread. For this reason, we selected these events as the object of analysis. While the sustainable planning, promotion, and operation methods applied to each event are similar, there are differences in the details; thus, this study aims to find common elements through comparison and delve into the characteristics, trends, and limitations of eco-friendly policies in sports (see

Table 2. Analytical Framework of the Case Study.

Hardware-Based	Software-Based	Development of Green Sports
Creating eco-friendly facilities Environmentally friendly operation of facilities	Cooperative governance arrangements National environmental policies and institutions Engagement with local communities	Addressing environmental challenges Enhancing sustainability in sports

).

3.1. 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games

Since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), social interest in sports and environmental issues has increased. As a result, eco-friendly sports facilities have been constructed, and sports competitions have increasingly focused on the conservation of resources and non-destructive utilization of the natural environment. This was possible partly because of the lessons learned from other examples, such as the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1992 Albertville Winter Games, remembered as the most environmentally destructive Olympics in history. In contrast, the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games are recognized as one of the greenest Olympics, embodying the IOC’s emphasis on sustainability at the time [2,10]. For example, the Hamar Olympic Hall was originally planned to be built on the shores of Lake Akersvika but was moved to the site of a former landfill and hardware factory to protect migratory bird habitats [17]. It remains one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks and continues to serve as an ice-skating rink during the season and as a venue for other competitions and concerts in the off-season.

Hakons Hall, which was used as an ice hockey arena, was also built with a focus on versatility and future usage; a total of 15 other sports, including handball, soccer, volleyball, and basketball, continue to be played there [17]. Gjøvik Olympical Cavern Hall, another hockey arena, is the world’s largest artificial cave arena, carved out of a rocky mountain. Stone waste from the construction site was used to pave the roads and prevent industrial waste from seeping into the nearby lake [8]. Speed-skating and bobsleigh rinks were constructed primarily of wood rather than metal, and even bullets used in biathlon events were collected with nets and recycled to prevent heavy metal contamination. City buses in Lillehammer run on natural gas to minimize emissions, and kitchen utensils used in the athletes’ village and city restaurants were made of pressed cornmeal and potato flour to minimize waste. The medals awarded to athletes were made of stone rather than metal, and the podium was made of ice to emphasize harmony with nature. In addition, legal and institutional measures were put in place to ensure eco-friendliness by imposing fines on those caught cutting down even a single twig around the stadium as well as substantial fines for construction contractors for any damage to the natural environment [5].

The Lillehammer Winter Olympics, the first in Olympic history to be both environmentally friendly and profitable, can thus be highly evaluated in terms of achieving economic growth through eco-friendly operations. As an event that embodied the IOC’s sustainability principles of “recyclability” and “eco-friendliness” from the construction of the stadium to its operation and post-event usage, the Lillehammer Olympics provide valuable lessons for today’s mega sporting events. In particular, it was a symbolic event in terms of saving resources and minimizing the environmental impact. Because it was held before the advancement of eco-friendly science and technology, a specific environmentally friendly system was not introduced. Nonetheless, it exemplified how, based on the will of the IOC and related departments, a mega sporting event could highlight green values. Compared to the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1992 Albertville Winter Games, criticized as the most environmentally destructive Olympics, there is a clear difference in core values. In deciding between the conflicting values of economic profits and environmental preservation, Lillehammer emphasized the latter and presented a horizon for a new paradigm combining recreational goods and eco-friendliness [21].

3.2. 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games

Another example of a green Olympics was the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games. Sydney was elected to host the Olympics, defeating Beijing in the final round of voting (despite Beijing winning the first to third rounds of voting) by involving Greenpeace in the bidding committee as part of its commitment to achieve a green Olympics [14]. The Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympics created environmental guidelines for each area, targeting aspects such as water conservation, waste reduction, and biodiversity protection, and it systematically established and promoted environmental measures from the bidding stage. The environmental pledges of the committee addressed more than 100 environmental topics and provided detailed guidelines by area, including energy conservation, water conservation, minimization of waste and garbage, pollution control, and protection of key natural and cultural environments [21].

The Sydney Organizing Committee’s commitment to environmental conservation was demonstrated when a tour of the proposed site for the tennis stadium revealed that it was home to the endangered green and golden bell frog; the site was changed without hesitation to protect the frog’s habitat [22]. Additionally, the track-and-field stadium and swimming pool, the pride of the committee, were built without compromising the spectacular view of the beach through collaboration between world-renowned architects and environmental activists. Sydney Olympic Park, located in the city center, was formerly a dumping site that was transformed into sports and recreational facilities for the Olympic Games. Furthermore, 9 of the 28 facilities used for the event already existed; the Organizing Committee’s headquarters was a renovated newspaper office building, and the media center was previously a hospital [17]. The Sydney Olympics were also highly evaluated for their energy savings. In particular, the Olympic Village was recognized as the largest solar energy facility in the world and generated as much electricity as a small power plant through the solar panels installed on the roofs of hundreds of homes. The Sydney Games’ green credentials were also recognized through refrigerators that did not use ozone-depleting freon gas and a natural ventilation system using ocean breeze [7,23].

Sydney’s efforts have many implications for future projects. The Sydney Olympics were a turning point when the core value of the Olympics shifted from economic added value to environmental values. Sydney was able to host the Olympic Games by advocating environmental preservation as its highest value in its application and presenting concrete strategies to realize it. While previous Olympic Games practiced environmental preservation through minimizing development, the Sydney Olympics adopted the latest science and technology—still relevant for sporting events today—that minimize development and environmental destruction, recycle resources, and save energy [23]. The development of eco-friendly technology for sports facilities began in earnest after this event. In this respect, the 2000 Sydney Olympics can be considered the most successful Olympic Games in terms of achieving the sustainability goals pursued by the IOC.

3.3. FIFA Green Goal Initiative

Just as the IOC and Greenpeace have developed policies for hosting the Olympics with a focus on environmental issues, FIFA has made numerous attempts to make World Cup matches greener. A case in point is the Green Goal initiative, which was introduced in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2005, on the occasion of the sixth World Conference on Sport and Environment by the German World Cup Organizing Committee, and aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during World Cup matches [8,17,24]. This initiative included three specific measures. First, waste should be reduced by reducing packaging, deploying multi-use systems, and promoting recycling by installing recycling bins in and around the stadium. For example, a multi-use beverage purchase system promoted reusable cups that provided a cash or eco-point refund when returned to a self-service machine. Second, energy-saving light bulbs should be used, heat energy generated from air-conditioning units should be reused, and solar energy should be harnessed. Third, 50% or more of spectators should use public transportation. In the case of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, it was planned from the beginning that 11 of the 12 stadiums would continue to be used as stadiums for the Bundesliga, the country’s professional soccer league [8]. In an effort to promote the use of public transportation, German World Cup sponsor Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) gave more than 6000 journalists and correspondents from around the world free access to intercity trains for 6 weeks; those with World Cup tickets were allowed to use public transportation in the relevant city free of charge [2]. The Munich stadium was designed to save EUR 300,000 in annual water costs by adopting a rainwater recycling system; the Dortmund stadium was designed to produce 550,000 kilowatts of electricity per year using solar power [24]. Thus, this shows a successful case of highlighting the sustainability of sports by making sports facilities available after the event and generating green energy.

With this initiative, a growing number of famous soccer players have been involved in environmental campaigns. Lutz Pfannenstiel, goalkeeper of Germany’s national youth team, transformed himself into an environmental activist and formed “Global United FC” [2]. About 200 celebrated soccer players and coaches are involved in this, including former Brazilian national players Cafu and Ronaldinho, Portuguese legend Luis Figo, France’s Zinedine Zidane, and Liberian George Weah, who led AC Milan during their glory days. They are harnessing the massive popularity of soccer to raise awareness of climate change and support environmental causes by raising funds through charity games [2].

3.4. 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games

The latest Winter Olympic Games, held in Beijing, are also recognized as a green Olympic Games. Based on a vision of “Sustainability for the Future”, the Beijing Winter Olympic Games thoroughly complied with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 while preparing for and hosting the Games [3,7,25]. As the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games, Beijing established a low-carbon management mechanism to achieve carbon neutrality and took extensive measures to reduce and offset carbon emissions in every aspect of the event, from preparation to operation [7]. Newly built stadiums all adopted eco-friendly design and construction methods above internationally required standards, and waste materials from construction and during the events were recycled.

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games Organizing Committee prioritized the protection of ecosystems throughout the process, from planning to construction to operation to utilization after the Games. To minimize the negative effect on ecosystems, nighttime work was limited, wildlife corridors were installed, and plants were transplanted where necessary [7]. In Beijing, six stadiums forming part of the legacy of the 2008 Summer Games were remodeled to hold the Winter Olympic Games. The national swimming center, known as the Water Cube and used for swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming competitions in 2008, was reused as the curling arena in 2022 [25]. For the first time in Olympic history, all the stadiums used 100% renewable energy; natural carbon dioxide cooling system technology was used to increase energy savings by 20% compared to those achieved via previous methods. A forest ecosystem co-development project was created to improve air quality during the event and the regional climate over the long term. Specifically, in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, 80,333 ha of forest and green areas have been created, equivalent in size to more than 80,000 soccer fields [7].

4. Discussion

Since 1992, the international sports community has begun to take the issue of environmental pollution caused by sports seriously, and the IOC, FIFA, and Greenpeace have been working to shape the international discourse on the coexistence of sports and the environment. However, despite the fact that these international sports organizations have established and strengthened various institutional policies to preserve the environment, hosting mega sporting events inevitably entails environmental destruction. This is because the optimal conditions for sports facilities to support the best performance are clearly not natural environments. Therefore, unless the paradigm of mega sporting events is changed to competitions in natural environments, at least some environmental damage caused by sporting events is inevitable despite such institutional policies.

Based on the examples in

Table 3. Summary of Green Sporting Event Cases.

Event Name	Host Country	When	Key Green Strategy
Lillehammer Winter Olympics	Norway	1994	Reinventing goods through sustainability Strengthening local capacity through environmental education and civic engagement
Sydney Winter Olympics	Australia	2000	Introducing the concept of a green Olympics Using alternative energy sources such as solar and bioenergy
FIFA Green Goal	Germany	2006	Introduced recycling and eco-friendly energy generation systems Encouraging public transportation and promoting eco-friendly transportation
Beijing Winter Olympics	China	2022	Introducing a scientific system for carbon neutrality Reducing water usage and using recirculation

, the evolutionary trend of eco-friendliness in sports can be demonstrated; it shows a progression from minimizing development, respecting nature during development, and recycling resources to incorporating the latest eco-friendly technologies. In other words, whereas eco-friendly sports facilities formerly focused on utilizing the natural environment as much as possible without damaging it or on minimizing material inputs and recycling resources, scientific and technological advances have meant that this focus has gradually shifted to construction using new types of materials and the generation and use of new sources of energy.

Before the 1990s, few environmental efforts were made in mega sporting events, although since the UNCED in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, environmental preservation has been considered an essential focus rather than a choice; sports organizations, centered on the IOC, FIFA, and Greenpeace, have committed to addressing environmental concerns. Since the late 2000s, most mega sporting events have employed cutting-edge eco-friendly technology, increasing eco-friendly elements in the installation and operation of all facilities, including transportation and athletes’ villages as well as stadiums. In particular, the Sydney Olympics in 2000 sparked increased interest and investment in eco-friendly sports facilities based on science and technology.

For all of the legal, institutional, and technological devices used to ensure the coexistence of sports and the environment, there continue to be clear limitations in the way this issue is approached. The issue of sports and the environment continues to be framed as a conflict between the creation of goods through development and the preservation of the environment for future generations [26]. However, the conflict between sports and the environment should ultimately be addressed through changing perceptions of sports and the environment rather than simply introducing science and technology or relevant policies while maintaining old ways of thinking. Ultimately, solving the problem of sports and the environment is an ethical question. Ethics involves questioning the nature of correct and appropriate acts. In this way, ethics involves behaving consistently with certain values, standards, principles, etc., and ethics comprises a mechanism that enables people to create as little friction and conflict as possible in their relationships with other people in society. Thus, the conflicts between sports and the environment are, in essence, an ethical problem.

However, ethics alone are unable to address the conflict between sports and the environment. As with environmental issues in general, sports and environmental issues are complex and intertwined, requiring a combination of political, economic, scientific, and educational approaches to achieve a harmonious resolution [26,27]. All of these measures must be preceded by ethical work that explores the principles underlying the ideology; this will enable us to identify clues to solutions. It is important to make an effort to understand the laws of ecosystems and take appropriate scientific and technological measures to address environmental concerns due to sports activities. However, the most important act is to use scientific and technological measures in a way that promotes ethical and environmental values [28]. Thus, an ecological ethic calling for a moral obligation to the natural environment is needed in sports.

Based on the assumption of the interdependence of humans and the non-human world, ecological ethics emphasize that our ethical obligations go beyond humanity. Ecological ethics call for new perceptions of and attitudes toward the natural environment and ecosystems, in addition to the preservation of the natural environment in a narrow sense [29,30]. This will enable us to ensure the balance and sustainability of ecosystems. We need to break out of the outdated human-centric framework within which nature or ecosystems are perceived as belonging to humankind. While the environmental crisis today does result from rapid technological development, it fundamentally originates from a lack of values and ethical views in relation to the environment [30,31,32]. Environmental pollution and ecosystem destruction are ubiquitous phenomena, and the severity of these problems requires a fundamental change of perspective toward the natural environment. It is impossible to overcome these issues simply through technological approaches or improvements in political, economic, and social systems. Humans are the main culprits in terms of environmental pollution. As ecological and environmental crises are caused by our individual values and environmental perceptions, these crises will only be resolved when we fundamentally change these values and perspectives [33]. The environmental crisis is not merely a problem of pollution or destruction of the natural environment; it is directly related to human life. To overcome the environmental crisis, it is necessary to explore and practice ecologically ethical ways of living based on ecological awareness.

Thus, an appropriate resolution of the conflict between sports and the environment can be found by shifting our values and perceptions based on ecological ethics. Current environmental problems caused by sports result from current social systems and forms of civilization, which need to be transformed first before we can fundamentally address any concrete environmental problems [27]. To achieve this goal, a profound shift in consciousness is imperative—a transformation that redefines the worldviews and values held by contemporary individuals. Consequently, an educational approach that elucidates the accurate interconnection between humans and the environment, clarifying their rightful position and responsibility within the natural order, becomes a pressing necessity. In essence, grounded in an authentic portrayal of nature’s essence, education must undertake a moral reflection on the prevailing anthropocentrism, acknowledged as the root of our environmental predicament. This endeavor is geared toward nurturing ecological citizens who strive toward a paradigm beyond anthropocentrism, embracing post-anthropocentrism or ecocentrism as essential guiding principles.

To do this, the most important aspect involves transforming the way we think about the world and the environment. The global environmental problem we have today comes from humans having had the wrong attitude toward nature since the modern era. Nature is not something to be conquered, as modern people believe, and humans and nature cannot be separated. Without rediscovering ourselves as humans living in nature with nature’s help, environmental problems will never be solved [29]. First, we need to change ourselves and become people who can listen to and communicate with nature and the Earth. Without this change in worldview, sustainable development, in its truest sense, cannot be achieved.

5. Conclusions

For humankind, environmental preservation is no longer a choice but an essential step. As it is directly related to human survival, global efforts are necessary, and sports are no exception. The perception that the destruction of the natural environment is unavoidable for the development of sports is long gone. We now need to discuss the coexistence of sports and the environment. In this context, this study diagnosed the environmental pollution problems caused by sports today from the perspective of ecological ethics and analyzed the environmentally friendly practices applied to international sporting events. Accordingly, we sought to identify the measures and tasks that need to be adopted to ensure the sustainable development of sports.

Since the 1992 UNCED, there has been growing interest in environmental issues in the sports industry, led by the IOC, FIFA, and Greenpeace [33]. The IOC defined environmental preservation as a core value in hosting the Olympic Games through various initiatives, including the “1994 IOC Environmental Declaration” and “Agenda 21” (adopted in 1999), highlighting the importance of green sports as well as the seriousness of environmental degradation. Greenpeace prepared detailed environmental guidelines for host cities, while FIFA has been involved in various environmental initiatives, including Green Goal. In the early 1990s, at the dawn of the discussion on eco-friendly sports facilities, minimization of development was the motto, focusing on using the natural environment as it is, using a minimal amount of resources, and recycling resources. In the 2000s, given various technological advances, the focus shifted to the use of new materials and the generation and use of new energy sources in the construction and operation of green sports facilities. Recently, the concept of “green money” was introduced, which aimed to support the creation of goods while saving resources and minimizing pollution using innovative green technologies [17,34].

The environment is affected by sports, and it affects those involved in them. In other words, if sports threaten the environment, the environment will threaten sports in turn. To ensure the sustainable development of sports, it is crucial to identify measures to preserve the environment while pursuing the values of sports. In this study, we aimed to identify such measures within the concept of ecological ethics. Environmental problems are not only scientific or technological problems. Fundamentally, they are an ethical problem, raising value-related questions such as “What should we value?” and “What kind of world should we live in?” [35]. This does not mean that an ethical approach is the only way to address environmental problems. Abstract ethical theories alone will not suffice. However, because they are dependent on the lifestyles and ethical views of people, many environmental problems can be solved by changing values and perceptions regarding the environment. Thus, we need to expand the scope of ethics to incorporate the relationship between human society and nature, shifting to an ecocentric perspective that recognizes humans and nature as equal, mutually dependent partners. In conclusion, to address environmental problems in sports, we must change the way we think about sports and the world, as well as the way we enjoy sports. Now is the moment when we need ethics for nature rather than only ethics for humans.

Presently, there is a scarcity of research focusing on sustainable sports. The significance of this study lies in its capacity to diagnose the underlying causes of environmental issues attributed to sports activities. Moreover, it offers strategies to enhance the sustainability of sports through an analysis of environmentally friendly approaches implemented in established international sports events. However, due to the study’s limited scope in terms of subjects and cases, there exists a notable opportunity for future research to enhance its scientific explanatory capacity in quantitative terms. This can be achieved through the comparative analysis of a broader array of cases, conducting in-depth interviews with pertinent experts, and administering surveys to stakeholders. Moreover, the challenge of quantitatively comparing the potential additional costs associated with the implementation of environmentally friendly methods across various sporting events with the tangible monetary savings arising from reduced carbon emissions and resource usage remains. We anticipate addressing this complexity through subsequent research endeavors, thereby striving to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the economic aspects involved.