The 10th edition of the World Conference on Sport and the Environment will take place in Sochi, Russia ahead of the Olympic Winter Games

110713-changingtodayConference topics

Under the Conference theme “Changing Today for a Better Tomorrow”, some of the key topics to be discussed are: A Collective Vision for Sustainable Development, the new Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), Russian Legacies pre- & post-Sochi 2014, the sustainable development landscape following Rio+20, and showcasing legacies of the Olympic Games and Olympic bids for sustainable development, as well as highlighting the UN system.

IOC Sport and Environment Awards

As has been the tradition since 2009, the winners of the 3rd IOC Sport and Environment Awards – recognising and celebrating outstanding grassroots initiatives in the field of sustainable sport and the environment – will be announced during the opening ceremony of the Conference. A dedicated session has therefore been incorporated into the Conference programme, to enable the awardees to present their innovative and winning projects. Nominations for the Awards can be submitted by National Olympic Committees, International Federations, Continental Associations and Recognised Organisations until 2 September 2013.
Learn more about this year’s Sport and Environment Awards here

Background information

The event is organised in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Russian government, the Russian Olympic Committee and the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014. This edition follows one year after the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), often abbreviated to Rio+20, which was a key moment in the global sustainability agenda. Indeed, Rio+20 saw a renewal of the sporting community’s long-term and political commitment to sustainable development.
The biennial Conference is one of the IOC’s key advocacy initiatives in the field of the environment, and usually attracts hundreds of representatives from the Olympic family, governments, the UN system, academic institutions and NGOs.