The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have demonstrated that major international sports events can significantly reduce their carbon footprint, if organisers are willing to make some changes, according to a new study by Japan's Chukyo University.
A team of researchers reached this conclusion after looking at the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the carbon emissions of last year's Olympic Games – pushed back from their original date of 2020 due to international lockdown measures.
The results showed a dramatic decrease in the competition's environmental impact, compared to that of previous years, and shed light on possible steps that large international events can take in the future to contribute to decarbonisation efforts.
Due to the pandemic, the number of inbound event-related personnel who attended the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was significantly reduced, from 141,000 to 41,000 attendees.
The researchers did not look at the number of spectators...