Independent environmental assessment: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were widely acclaimed as one of the most spectacular sporting events ever held, not least as a result of the sumptuous and dazzling opening ceremony and the high standards of competition from athletics and swimming to horse-jumping and yachting. But what of the environment which along with sport and culture is the third pillar of Olympism? How did these Olympic and Paralympic Games rate in terms of sustainability and their contribution to a green legacy for Beijing, China and beyond? This report discusses the environmental measures taken by the organizers and assesses their effectiveness and lessons learnt, all of which will be useful for those planning future Olympic and other sporting events. It compares the commitments made in Beijing's 2000 bid to the actual outcomes and sets these within the challenges of a rapidly emerging economy that in recent years has seen double digit growth.