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Top storyBillions pledged by world leaders for sport and sustainability
World leaders and global businesses have pledged billions to initiatives aimed at accelerating sustainability in sport.
Ahead of the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games last week, French President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach hosted a summit attended by 500 guests, including 50 heads of state and government.
According to reports, leaders at the International Summit on Sport and Sustainable Development agreed on commitments across sectors such as education and employment, health and nutrition, equality, inclusion, sustainability and more.
“It's the synergy of our actions and everything that we can do together with the sports movement that is absolutely essential."
Additionally, banks and financial institutions pledged to invest $10bn across the world for inclusive and sustainable sports infrastructure by 2030. The French Development Agency also said it would allocate €500m for sustainable development in sports by the same deadline.
“It’s the synergy of our actions and everything that we can do together with the sports movement that is absolutely essential,” said Macron, as per Euro News.
“The Games are a way to cast a light on what we are doing and launch new initiatives and thanks to all the donations that have been mobilised for the African, Latin American and Pacific continents and I thank you for the everyday engagement towards this direction.”
The IOC further announced a 10% increase in its budget for Olympic solidarity, which means the total will reach $650m for 2025-28. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the football governing body would install at least 1,000 pitches across the globe, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) said it would work with partners to build 1,000 basketball courts in African countries.
Addressing the summit, the IOC’s Bach said: “The Olympic Games are about sport. And they are about more than sport: Sport is health. Sport is inclusion. Sport is respect. Sport is empowerment. Sport is solidarity. Sport is peace.”
"The Olympic Games are about sport. And they are about more than sport: Sport is health. Sport is inclusion. Sport is respect. Sport is empowerment. Sport is solidarity. Sport is peace."
– IOC President Thomas Bach at the International Summit on Sport and Sustainable Development… pic.twitter.com/Fuqg2TffGS
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 25, 2024
The importance of sustainability in major sporting events has been a consistent theme since Paris was announced as a host in 2017.
Paris 2024 organisers have pledged from the beginning to reduce the Games’ overall carbon footprint compared to the 2012 and 2016 events in London and Rio de Janeiro.
The Olympics will run until August 11, followed by the Paralympics between August 28 and September 8.
Image: Jacques Paquier, CC BY 2.0