We’d like to imagine the 2024 Olympic Games as a starting point (but by no means an ending point) of a transformation in one of the world’s most diverse and interesting cities. The 2024 Olympic Games will not only be a large change to the city of Brussels, the kingdom of Belgium and the European Union, but will be a model on the world stage for how a city can transform from one in the past to one of the future.
While this may seem a bit ambitious for a sporting event, the Olympic Games is not any ordinary sporting event. As a celebration of not only sporting but also pride, diversity, and achievement, they have the power to change the face of a city and the world. It is an event that unites more than 200 nations (although some may not be sovereign) into one city for a limited time to celebrate for the same thing.
What does this all mean? Brussels is the capital of the European Union, a highly successful example of how many nations can come together in unity amid their differences. This same concept applies to what will happen with the Brussels 2024 Olympic Games. Brussels is a city that has gone through many things and many changes. Through dark times, Brussels has always come out a better city. With the spread of radical terrorism throughout Europe, it can be said that Europe as a whole is experiencing a dark time in the current decade. But in the face of adversity, unity is the best hope.
Brussels has the unfortunate reputation of being a highly congested city, in terms of traffic. This is a large problem and although it is already being tackled, the single biggest way for Brussels to become not a city of the past but a modern, sustainable city of the present and the future is through the promotion of public transit, cycling, and walking. This transformation has already started, with each year the allocation of more funds to these green initiatives for a better Brussels of tomorrow. We have ambitious plans for the next eight years leading up to the 2024 Olympics. Some of these plans have already started, such as the creation of a pedestrian-only district in a large portion of Brussels’ historic and downtown areas. We plan to use the Olympic Games as a showcase of our changes and to enhance commitment for the changes still to come.
Our vision for the games is one of unity for the Belgian and European people. We want the games to leave a legacy on not only the city of Brussels but the whole world. In 1920 when Antwerp hosted the Olympics, the Olympic flag was flown for the first time. The Olympic oath was taken for the first time. Both traditions continue today. What milestones will be during the Brussels 2024 Olympic Games? We can’t wait to find out.
Sustainability
Our goal with the Brussels 2024 Olympic Games is to be the most sustainable Olympics yet. All of our newly constructed and renovated buildings will go above and beyond international energy efficiency standards. Through numerous policy changes (see: Appendix C) we plan to increase electricity production from renewable energy sources, as well as promote and make accessible our world-class public transit system. All decisions regarding construction and transit will be made with sustainability in mind. Our Olympic Park will not be a concrete jungle of stadiums, we have planned to make it as sustainable as possible. It will be surrounded on many sides by forest, with numerous safe walking trails accessible, both within the forest and the Olympic Park itself, where many trees and new trees will be kept/planted. Our stadiums and venues will blend seamlessly with their surroundings, in a natural environment with plenty of green space.
The City of Brussels, in partnership with the Belgian government, is proud to announce the One Tree, One Planet initiative as one of the primary facets of our sustainability plan for the 2024 Olympic Games. This initiative’s goal is to minimize the ecological impact of construction for the 2024 Olympic Games. What this plan does is that for every tree cut down during construction related to the 2024 Olympic Games, the City of Brussels or the Belgian government will plant a tree somewhere in the country. The majority of the trees will be planted within Brussels itself, in conjunction with our plans to modernize the city centre and improve pedestrian-access while reducing car access, which will create more space for pedestrian and cycling use.