IOC sustainability studies highlight archery success stories

Two sustainability case studies conducted by the International Olympic Committee have been published to spotlight the environmentally-friendly construction of the World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne and World Archery’s longstanding bottle recycling initiative.

“Archery is an outdoor sport and it is our responsibility to protect the environment wherever we can,” said World Archery Secretary General Tom Dielen.

The study focusing on the reduction of single-use plastics was conducted at the Hyundai Archery World Cup stage in Berlin where organisers were strict with the use of bottle tokens and limited wastage, resulting in a recycling rate of 99%.

“Reducing plastic wastage at one event is great, but imagine if we could do the same at the 10,000s of sport tournaments around the world,” added Tom.

The study focusing on the World Archery Excellence Centre’s solar panels and energy insulation found that the facility produces 155,000kWh of energy per year, enough to provide power for around 40 average EU households.

“The sustainable approach to construction significantly reduces our operating costs and our ecological and carbon footprint,” said Centre Director Juan-Carlos Holgado.

The studies were created as part of an ongoing project to identify areas of good practice within the Olympic Movement.