Environmental Sustainability and the Olympics: Crafting the Future

Abstract This study provides a review of the literature on research focused on environmental sustainability (ES) and the Olympic Games. This systematic literature review is needed to guide future studies and direct sport scholars’ attention toward a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of ES within the Olympics. A scoping review method was utilized to identify journal articles, examine and screen each article, and report the overall status of research connected with ES and the Olympics. After evaluation, sixty-one articles were included in the scoping review. The results suggest ES remains an important topic of study. For over thirty years, scholars have examined ES from many different and critical perspectives. However, gaps remain in the literature, especially in the areas of theoretical development and methodological approaches. As scholarship connecting ES and the Olympics continues, this review provides insights into the ways scholars from a broad range of academic disciplines can approach the topic and continue to contribute to knowledge creation.