This week, the world will tune in to watch what is being billed as the most sustainable Olympic Games in history, a goal the organizers of the Paris Games aim to reach in part by refurbishing buildings instead of constructing new ones.
More than 90% of the venues that will be used for the Paris Games are temporary or already existed, though many of the buildings are old — including one used in the 1924 Olympics — and needed to be upgraded.
For decades, the International Olympic Committee has been stung by images of Olympic venues in disrepair years after the Games end. The soaring cost of putting on the Games and the white elephants left in their wake had scared away potential bidders. Moving forward, the IOC hopes that its ambitions for more sustainable Olympic facilities will lure other potential bidders.