Tiny Olympic flame shines light on Beijing claim that this will be ‘greenest Games’ ever
- Beijing Winter Olympics organisers insist they have committed to the goal of achieving a carbon neutral Games
- Yet experts and activists question ‘irresponsible’ reliance on artificial snow and lack of accountability over sustainability, with IOC ‘essentially compliant’
China has long trumpeted its claim that this year’s Winter Olympics will be the greenest Games ever, and even proposed a flameless cauldron at the opening ceremony as a nod to being environmentally friendly.
And even for the International Olympic Committee, who are very vocal about their commitment to being carbon-neutral, and insist hosts are equally climate conscious, that was a step too far.
As it was, the tiny Olympic flame still raised eyebrows, as did famed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, the man responsible for ceremony, when he said that in case size mattered, and it was “sending a clear message: the cauldron is the world and lighting it is about being environmentally friendly and having low carbon emission”.
He added: “If subsequent Olympic Games want to be green and want to make the flame small, you can use the Beijing Games as a reference.”
In 2016, a year after China won its bid to host the Games, organisers published a policy report that cast sustainability as “the core concept and basic principle” for the landmark sporting event.
In the lead-up to the Games, organisers set up eco-friendly measures ranging from using electric buses to making sustainable artificial snow, with the goal of achieving a fully carbon-neutral event.
