Topic:
Country: France
Delegate Name: Paige Nichols
The 20th century has seen an exponential increase in costs associated with hosting the Olympic games. Initial bids submitted by cities to the International Olympic Committee can cost upwards of fifty million USD and are only expected to further inflate. Additionally, once a city is officially selected to host the games, further costs are incurred to update local infrastructure such as roads, airports, and hotels, as well as construct facilities specific to the games. These added costs can cost anywhere between five and fifty billion USD, and only add to the burden of host cities. Aside from these economic concerns, as the Olympics have expanded in size and scale, so has the associated environmental damage. Significant amounts of carbon are released due to the games from the sheer amount of associated travel and construction. Local environments have to be reshaped in order to accommodate large venues, often displacing hundreds of thousands of residents and destroying natural resources and habitats. The United Nations must take action to lessen both the economic and environmental burdens associated with hosting the Olympics.
As a soon-to-be six-time host of the Olympics, France has a vested interest in mitigating negative effects on both economies and environments. The Paris 2024 games are estimated to cost 4.4 billion EU, 3 billion of which will be sourced from French taxpayers, although this cost will likely overrun. This budgetary drift puts undue strain on the public, incurring unwanted expenses that they may not have been made aware of. In efforts to reduce costs, the 2024 Paris games will focus on reusing existing facilities to house 95% of the games. Certain facilities that must be constructed, such as the Olympic Village, are part of a sustainable development project that will convert the venues into affordable housing after the game’s duration. Collectively, France intends to ensure that the 2024 Paris games reduce carbon emissions by as much as 55%, thereby being the first games in alignment with the Paris agreement.
France would seek to lessen the aforementioned issues by reducing the cost of bidding, as well as encouraging hosts to reuse already existing facilities, both to decrease expenses as well as carbon emission byproducts. France would recommend that the IOC consider dispersing events across several cities, or scaling back the games so as to preserve local environments. France does not wish to deprive nations of the opportunity to host the Olympics, given the economic gains it can bring, but wants to ensure it doesn’t further existing carbon emission levels. France believes in the collaboration between member states to come to a solution benefiting all and expects to find allies in nations with similar environmental concerns such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
