Olympic Games Sustainability Calculator

Olympic Games Sustainability Calculator

Since 1992, the International Olympic Committee has treated sustainability as a core dimension of the Games alongside sport and culture. This calculator uses the Olympic Sustainability Model developed by Müller et al. (2021) to score each host city across three dimensions — ecological, social, and economic — on a 0 to 100 scale where higher is more sustainable.

The Three Dimensions

• Ecological: New construction, visitor transportation footprint, and event size relative to venue capacity.
• Social: Public approval, displacement of residents, and changes to rule of law during the event.
• Economic: Budget overruns, public funding exposure, and long-term viability of venues after the Games.

Each dimension is scored from sub-indicators (0–100 each), averaged, then normalized so the three dimensions sum to the total sustainability score (max 100). Barcelona 1992 includes detailed sub-scores from the published model. For other Games, dimension scores are estimated proportionally.

Rankings at a Glance

Salt Lake City 2002 ranks highest at 71/100, benefiting from existing winter sports infrastructure and a relatively compact event. Sochi 2014 ranks lowest at 24.44/100, largely due to massive construction costs and poor post-event venue use. Paris 2024 scored 40/100 with an estimated 1.75 Mt CO₂ emissions — among the lowest carbon footprints for a Summer Games.

A score of 75 or above is considered the threshold for a fully sustainable Olympic event. For related ecology tools, see the Flight Carbon Footprint Calculator, the Car vs Bike Calculator, or the Kaya Identity Calculator.