Sport and the environment are inextricably linked. Athletes need clean and healthy conditions to train and compete in; sport can also have a direct impact on the environment. It is no wonder that the environment, the third pillar of Olympism together with sport and culture, is being accorded increasing priority in the Olympic Movement.

Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) recognises the importance of sustainable development and environmental conservation. As the host of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG), we have a strong social responsibility to set high standards with regard to the environment. We will therefore incorporate principles of environmental protection and sustainability into our planning process. We will also collaborate with partners who can lend us valuable environmental expertise.

At the same time, we also recognise that collective effort is required to promote sustainability, thus everyone has a part to play in saving the environment. In particular, as leaders of tomorrow, the youth have a vital role to play in these efforts.

SYOGOC has therefore developed an environmental policy that will act as the baseline for all activities executed during the games. As seen below, this spells out the 3 environmental focus areas of the Games, which will serve as the guiding principles for the various parties as they integrate environmental considerations into their planning and operations.

Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) is committed to organising the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in an environmentally friendly, economically viable and socially responsible manner.

We strive for minimal impact on the environment before, during and after the Youth Olympic Games so as to contribute to the well being of all participants, be they athletes, officials, spectators or volunteers. We will focus on the following 3 areas:

Clean environmental standards

We aim to maintain high environmental standards through sound practices and technologies in the most cost-effective manner

Resource efficient YOG

We aim to implement energy efficient initiatives, water conservation features and 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) measures where applicable

Sustainable communities

We strive to inculcate an environmentally friendly lifestyle among YOG participants and the community in support of the YOG 

The 3 focus areas will be achieved via careful planning to minimise the environmental impacts of YOG activities, enhancing existing and building new environmental infrastructure to support the environmental requirements and closely engaging all our partners in the 3P sectors (i.e. People, Private and Public) in achieving our environmental objectives.

 The 3P sectors comprise non-profit organisations (people), for-profit companies (private) and public sector agencies (public). SYOGOC recognises the importance of all 3 categories in securing the success of the YOG, thus we will work with our partners in the respective sectors.

People

We will leverage on the non-governmental organisations’ (NGOs) existing programme and network of green volunteers to promote environmental initiatives to YOG participants as well as members of the public. NGOs that we will be engaging include Singapore Environment Council, Environmental Challenge Organisation and Restroom Association of Singapore. We will also work with grassroots organisations such as the Community Development Councils to drive the various projects.

Private

We will work with the private sector to facilitate the implementation of environmentally friendly measures and to procure environmental services for the Games. For example, we will discuss the possibility of integrating recycling into the waste collection plans with the waste collectors. We will also encourage transport operators to use green vehicles to shuttle the athletes, Olympic officials and members of the Olympic family.

Public

We will engage inter-agency working groups to build on their existing scopes of work. In particular, we will be working with the National Environment Agency to ensure the cleanliness of all game venues and their surroundings, set waste collection and cleanliness standards, and to put in place checks to reduce the threat of dengue. Together with the Singapore Sports Council, we will also maintain and operate the facilities and venues so as to achieve high public health and environment standards for both YOG participants and members of the public.