Increasing concerns about sustainable development and climate change have pushed public and private actors and organisations to intensify their efforts to embed these issues in their plans, projects, programmes, and strategies. Within this context, the article examines sustainability as it relates to the Olympic Games, providing an overview of the measures taken by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the attention that these events' organisers have paid to integrating it over time. A comparative analysis of two cases – the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, and the 2032 Summer Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia – has been developed to identify specificities and opportunities in staging such a global event, examining diverse and interconnected aspects of sustainability that could help evaluate it in future games. The article highlights that interpretations of the meaning of sustainability change over time and vary across stakeholders and that the long-term impact assessment of the legacy of such events requires further research.

The paper is published by the European Journal of Spatial Development (EJSD).The previous version of the journal was host by Nordregio.