Blame it on Rio: isomorphism, environmental protection and sustainability in the Olympic Movement

This article will effectively place blame on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as it represents the latest Olympic host city to raise the stakes in matters of environmental protection and sustainability. Subject to isomorphic pressures operating within the organizational field, Bid Organizing Committees (BOCs) are encouraged to prescribe environmental programmes that are not only similar to, but are increasingly more ambitious than, previously successful bids. Rio's bid, by extension, represents the latest Olympic host city that has been driven to replicate, and then expand upon, elements of environmental protection and sustainability. This article will apply a range of institutional and organizational management theories to explain why BOCs have emerged as the actor responsible for enhancing the prospect of sustainability in the Olympic Movement while the International Olympic Committee's attempts at doing so have been considerably less effective.