November 6, 2007 – The International Cycling Union (UCI) participated in the seventh World Conference on Sport and the Environment which took place in Beijing, China, from 25th to 27th October.

The UCI’s Sports Department Manager, Olivier Quéguiner, and Cycling for All Coordinator, Georges-Emmanuel Denjean represented the UCI.

The conference was organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It gathered together more than 80 National Olympic Committees, 20 International Sports Federations and four Olympic Games Organizing Committees (Turin 2006, Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012).

The UCI’s Vice-President, and President of the Coordination Commission for the XXIXe Olympic Games, Mr Hein Verbruggen, opened the two-day conference, where participants shared their knowledge, discussed specific problems and sought solutions.

The UCI has been committed to the environment for many years, notably with its promotion of the bicycle as a means of transport that respects nature, its environmental charter distributed to its National Federations and, in the near future, a new environmental guide which will be sent out to all organizers of UCI events as an annex to the organization guide.

“Environmental issues touch not only the participants in a cycling event, but also the spectators and the organizers,” said Mr Denjean. “The new guide will cover such subjects as the management of waste, and protection of water and air.”

It is of note that in 2002 the UCI was awarded the “quality label” from the Nature and Economy Foundation for the management of the natural site of its headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland.

At the conference in Beijing, the UNEP presented the findings of its independent environmental review of the 2008 Olympic Games. The Chinese organizers have invested more than US$12 billion in providing “Green Games” and leaving a green legacy for Beijing once the Olympic Games over.

Some 200 measures have been undertaken to improve the quality of the air in the Olympic city. These include converting Beijing’s 4000-strong bus fleet to natural gas and building another 150 km of underground railway to encourage the use of public transport.

These measures reassure Mr Quéguiner: the cyclists participating at the Beijing Olympic Games will be competing in a healthy environment.

At the end of the conference, participants signed a final declaration. View it here.