In South Korea, Mount Gariwang is the most glaring symbol of the environmental impact of the modern Olympic Games.

In South Korea, a mountain preserved for the rarity of its fauna and flora was downgraded in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics, in order to build a temporary ski slope. Since then, the damage has been immense and has not been repaired.

Mount Gariwang, a small mountain 1,560 meters high, is considered sacred by many South Koreans. This sanctuary, home to several species of rare trees, was a virgin forest, with fauna and flora unique in the world. It is home to endangered animals such as the Eurasian otter, the leopard cat and the flying squirrel.

But in 2011, South Korea was selected to host the 2018 Winter Games alpine skiing competitions, and everything changed for this previously unspoiled mountain. While it had been recognized as a protected site by the Forest Protection Service, it was declassified to allow the construction of a ski slope. This saw 78 hectares of forest destroyed and nearly 58,000 trees razed, including Pinus Koraiensis, a tree species unique in the world.

This development was supposed to be temporary, but five years later, the forest restoration objectives have not been achieved. You can’t restore 500-year-old trees in five years, sacrificed for a competition lasting… four days. The organizers of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics have since recognized the impact of this destruction with irreversible consequences.

But while Mount Gariwang is arguably the most visible symbol of the Olympics’ environmental impact, it is far from its only victim. In 2014, a forest listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site was already partly razed in Sochi, Russia, to build a highway. Since then, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) is trying to make the Games “greener” by focusing on recycling and displaying mascots on bicycles. The IOC is especially promising to significantly reduce its CO2 emissions, which are supposed to be halved during this 2024 edition. However, the untenable promises of “carbon neutral games” Or “positive contribution to the climate”touted by the committee until 2021.