Paris 2024: Great and sustainable
This Olympic summer has passed like a whirlwind. Right in the middle of it all: Sará Kousková, the Czech LET player who is the only professional golfer in the world to be involved in one of the global athletes’ organizations for more climate protection. As a member of EcoAthletes, the 25-year-old is the perfect person to ask when it comes to the question: where did golfers come into contact with sustainability projects at the Olympics? Kousková, who is part of Amundi Team Europe and was competing in her first Olympic Games, got the whole Olympic feeling in the Olympic Village. Starting with the cardboard bed. “You couldn’t tell any differences. And I slept very comfortably there.” she sums up. “It seemed like a really nice place or community area with lots of greenery and lots of ponds around and trees within.” The fact that bicycles were available on every corner deserved a special plus point. They were used a lot by the athletes, and smaller electric buses were used for longer distances; Kousková discovered their charging station right next to the canteen.
Packaging and waste are a particular thorn in the side of the Czech woman: here, too, the Olympic Village scored points. “The only thing that was packd was some of the gluten free bread and yogurts, and that was it. The drinks, hot and cold, were in the machines so you could refill.” EcoAthlete Sará was also satisfied with the recycling approach: four different waste bins, all clearly marked, ensured that waste was separated. “And then, good thing, we had normal porcelain plates.” Nobody at the Costa Coffee stand in the canteen took offence at the fact that she always travels with her own coffee cup. It’s just a shame, she thinks, that it was hardly pointed out that the normal water in Paris is drinking water anyway. As a result, one or two athletes reached for a plastic bottle to take with them
Too hot? Not as bad as Texas
The issue of heat played a role in numerous competitions in Paris. “I think, it wasn’t too extreme, especially on the golf course,” she says retrospectively. “It think it was fine.” And compared to Arizona or Texas, where she played in tournaments as a college golfer, the temperatures were clearly still within reasonable limits. So was this Olympic golf tournament a perfect event? She is not really satisfied with her 55th place from a sporting point of view. But apart from that: “It was an incredible experience on many channels, with extremely great emotions.” It took her a while to process all these experiences. “I guess I loved everything about it.” And obviously, Paris 2024 was convincing in terms of sustainability.
