Contrary to some suggestions that the Winter Olympics were held too far from the mountains, Torino may in fact have shown the way towards even more environmentally friendly Winter Olympics, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said Wednesday in a statement.

Better use of city centers and recycling of sports infrastructure were highlighted by the UN environment agency as the two most outstanding lessons learned from the Torino Winter Olympics.

"By locating in the city center several key events, such as figure skating or ice hockey, along with accommodation for athletes and the media, the organizers have dramatically increased the likelihood that these buildings and structures will be sustainably used in the future for sports, other leisure activities and housing," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director.

"During the two weeks of competition this is likely to have increased commuting and transportation between the urban areas and the events staged in more rural, mountainous locations. But over the longer term the environmental impacts are likely to be positive," he said.

UNEP has been collaborating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for over a decade and worked closely with the Torino Organizing Committee (TOROC) before and during the Games. It believes the 2006 Winter Olympics underlined the growing importance of the environment for those staging sporting and public entertainment events, said the statement.

The final score card for Torino's environmental legacy is likely to emerge over the coming months. But UNEP believes some lessons may have already been learned.

"One area that the IOC might wish review is the issue of recycling of sporting infrastructure. Take bobsleigh for example. TOROC did a great job to try and mitigate its environmental impact. But the fact remains that constructing, operating and maintaining what is effectively a huge fridge in the mountains raises many fundamental questions of sustainability," said Toepfer.

The next Winter Olympic Games is scheduled to be staged in Vancouver, Canada in 2010.

Source: Xinhua