Accelerating sustainable development as a legacy of hosting mega events A journey from Barcelona & London to Brisbane

The Olympic and Paralympic Games (Games) have the power to deliver lasting benefits which can considerably change a community, its image, and its infrastructure. As one of the world’s largest mega events, the Games can be a tremendous catalyst for change in a host city with the potential to create far reaching legacies that endure long beyond the closing ceremony.
As we approach the 2030 UN Agenda deadline, it is imperative to take tangible, collaborative actions to ensure sustainable development is achieved by using an array of diverse levers. This session will focus on embedding sustainable development practices into the legacy of hosting mega events, with a particular focus on the past and future host cities of the Olympic and Paralympic Games such as Barcelona, London and Brisbane..
The City of Barcelona was host city for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games and is widely regarded as the first host city to use the Games as a catalyst to drive city transformation. The legacy of the 1992 Games in Barcelona delivered the modernisation and structural reform of the economy, provided new infrastructure that connected the city to the sea, increased sports participation, bolstered the tourism sector, and importantly increased citizen engagement and pride in the city. Barcelona was truly transformed from a local city to a global city.
London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Games came with a legacy promise to transform the heart of east London. Jobs, investment, educational and cultural opportunities have been realised as a result of that promise, and the International Olympic Committee sees London’s regeneration commitments as a blueprint for other cities to follow.
Brisbane is planning for a new kind of Games legacy, one that responds to the direction set in Olympic Agenda 2020+5. In response to the changing global context, Olympic Agenda 2020+5 seeks to promote increased sustainability and reinforce the role of sport in society. Central to this approach is the idea that the Games fit into the host city, and not the other way around. The legacy focus will be on the enduring social, cultural, economic, connectivity, and environmental changes that the Games can enable.
As Brisbane begins its Games legacy journey, the city has been actively collaborating with UN-Habitat's SDG Cities Global Initiative to locally implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has joined an initiative by UN-Habitat and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to mainstream sport, physical activity, and active recreation in urban development processes and the SDG localization agenda.
By bringing together past and future mega event host cities the event aims to provide valuable and actionable insights to achieving sustainable urban development, highlight a journey through decades of mega event delivery, and showcase best practice examples in preparation for the future for Brisbane (Olympic and Paralympic Games 2032) and beyond.