Munich 2018 games? German group says not a sustainable option

In the past I’ve written a number of times about the environmental impact and sustainable planning that goes hand-in-hand with large sporting events such as the World Cup and the Winter and Summer Olympic games. In each circumstance the events, as you know, subject to a extensive bidding process where various cities throughout the world enter bids that are then reviewed and approved by the international Olympics committee or FIFA respectively. Without exception such a large, ambitious and rapid construction program often leaves many environmental issues too far down the list in terms of priority. While event organizers are keen to point out that sustainable practices are indeed part of the blueprint the logic seems somewhat flawed.

There are already a long list of world cities that have successfully hosted previous World Cups and/or Olympics, therefore the infrastructure already exists and has been proven to work. Very little additional building for stadia or athletes would be needed, not to mention rezoning and re-categorizing land for new use in or around urban areas. While of course there is a certain amount of glamour and prestige attached with a city winning the opportunity to host such an event does that perceived value equate to what is fundamentally a questionable environmental choice? We know far more now than we did 40 or 50 years ago, so should the constant rotation of these giant events be limited to cities that have already made the investment and have the capacity? Even as I write this I would miss the idea of the World Cup being limited to four of five countries for the next 50 years, but my reasons for that are purely sentimental versus practical. I’m not really sure that sentimentalism should come into play even on a national pride basis when it comes to matters of the environment.

Interestingly enough there seems to be one city where an initial Olympic games (Winter 2018) bid is being prepared with just such concerns have been put on the table. Munich, Germany is amongst the cities shortlisted for a bid to host the Winter games later in the decade, however the evaluation team included various German conservation representatives who have withdrawn themselves from the commission and stated that the plans in the hosting package were environmentally irresponsible. It’s too early to say if this will derail the bid entirely, or make it reinvent itself to appeal to those who have disassociated themselves from the bid.

Representing 96 environmental groups, the German Nature Conservation Ring (DNR) expressed numerous concerns about the original bid but most pointedly the location was considered to be too damaging to the environment itself . The general secretary said

“We consider, after careful examination of the bid files and two long talks with leading bid representatives, that the hosting of the Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with its narrow valleys and its ecologically important areas is irresponsible”

The officials behind the Munich bid contradicted the findings and inferred that they would do all possible to respond to the critics and their concerns. I seriously doubt we will see a complete withdrawal by the Munich committee but it would signal a huge statement of intent for environmental groups all over the world that this build and expand mentality is far less practical and ethical than recycling what we already have in different cities around the world.