BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Turin Olympics were hailed by the European Union on Thursday as the first truly environment-friendly major sports event in Europe.
The Italian city and Piedmont region plan to offset carbon dioxide emissions and save water and energy to limit the impact of the Feb. 10-26 event on the environment.
The European Commission praised the games for sticking to EU environmental standards for building Olympic infrastructure.
"I hope other organizers of future sporting events will follow suit," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said.
The main Olympic Village, which will house 2,500 athletes, will have a record amount of solar panels and low-energy light bulbs. In the mountains, special tracks around the luge run and ski jumping hill will allow animals to pass through the area.
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