The adoption and evolution of environmental practices in the Olympic Games

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the evolution of environmental practices in the Olympic Movement and how they have become institutionalized within the field by using qualitative methodology consisting of content analysis of International Olympic Committee and Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games documents as well as other archival sources. The environmental phases of the Olympic Movement may be broken into the following non-exclusive themes: environment, sustainability, and zero impact. Environmental management in the Olympic Games bows to normative, coercive, and mimetic pressures from multiple groups and has caused isomorphism to occur which institutionalized environmental plans for bids in the Olympic Games. These environmental themes contribute to the event and sport event management literatures by helping future event organizers understand phases of environmental management and where there is room for growth in addressing environmental concerns at the Games.

KEYWORDS:

• Environment
• sustainability
• Olympic Games
• institutional theory
• sport events

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.