The Olympics are undoubtedly a spectacle of human excellence, an expression of talent, commitment, and unwavering determination. The opening Saturday of the Winter 2026 games averaged 28.5 million viewers, rendering it the most-watched Winter Olympic broadcast in the past 12 years. Viewers from around the world tuned in to see figure skaters, skiers, and ice hockey players in breathtaking arenas.
However, the Olympics’ anthropocentric focus leaves its catastrophic environmental impact widely unnoticed. The anthropogenic effects of the Olympic Games are environmentally devastating to host countries. The media’s focus on empowering human ability through massively impressive sporting events widely fails to consider the human ability to destroy, a massive fault of these spectacles.
Games of Mass Destruction
Pertinent to the Winter Olympics, the mass deforestation of trees to make space for these events is ecologically catastrophic for more than just the dense forests of host countries. Mass deforestation displaces the animals that inhabit these trees, leaving them disoriented, unsheltered, and at risk for starvation. Not only that, but the deforestation of trees in city areas is devastating to the cities themselves. Considering the human-centric perspective, trees in urban spaces suppress noise and bring communities together, orienting them towards the beauty and importance of nature.
According to The Sierra Club, “city vegetation removes nearly 784,000 tons of air pollution and reduces atmospheric carbon dioxide by about 100 to 200 pounds per tree”. This air filtration is crucial to cities polluted with carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides from vehicles. Along with many other positive impacts on the environment, trees uphold human life, warranting the wide reconsideration of their deforestation.
Additionally, commonplace to the Winter Olympics is the creation of fake snow for skiing and other winter sports. Hosting the Winter Olympics in locations without natural heavy snowfall, like the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, requires this costly production. This uses unprecedented amounts of water and energy. Also, the installation of this “snow” is capable of chemically altering the surrounding environment, creating concerns for decades after the games.
Relevant to all Olympic Games, mass infrastructure construction to host the Olympics creates massive environmental destruction. Disregarding the fact that these venues are built and left to decay, the process of building the infrastructure degrades the surrounding natural environment in countless ways. Specifically, the construction of various buildings for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia lead to an unprecedented amount of mass illegal waste dumping. This degraded the water supply for humans, animals, and plants across Russia. This is a prime example of the prioritization of anthropogenic interests, putting profit and media attention at the forefront, in turn sacrificing the longevity of Earth.
A step in the right direction
While many other environmental concerns resulting from the Olympic Games remain untouched by media coverage, there is reason for hope. This year’s Winter Olympic Games, held in Milan, Italy, have been marked as the most sustainable Olympic Games to date.
Working to combat the collateral issues of mass infrastructure construction, about 90% of the arenas in the Milan Olympics already exist or will be repurposed after the games. This is a huge step up from the previous Olympics. The 2026 Olympics are giving purpose to the other 10% of arenas, turning them into student housing, training centers, and community facilities. This shifts environmental focus towards the longevity of the environment, marking huge progress towards needed change.
This year’s Olympics also works towards greener games by optimizing energy use. This was executed through the use of renewable electricity in majority of the venues. Also, energy optimization is executed through smart stadium systems that monitor and adjust indoor temperature, reducing energy waste by up to 40%. Milian is also increasing recycling efforts, reusing 20,000+ pieces of equipment from the previous event in Paris, working tirelessly to not repeat the devastating effects of previous years’ games on the surrounding environment.
Other ways the Olympics are working to reduce the carbon footprint of the games include food-waste programs that redistribute food to charities. Also, Milian implemented transportation services that have been converted to be carbon-friendly, working to mitigate local air pollution and emissions.
Working Towards a global movement
While this turn towards green games in 2026 is a step in the right direction, its execution is far from perfect. In this context, it is important to note that Milan is still creating artificial snow and clearing several hundred trees for the games, altering the greenscape and chemical makeup of Milan’s mountain range.
However, any movement towards climate awareness and environmental preservation is promising. As mere spectators of the Olympics, environmental preservation may feel beyond our control. However, as individuals, we can make the greatest impact. Involving yourself in community preservation efforts, using green energy, reducing plastic waste, and investing in green alternatives make more of a difference than you know, so start today!