Sweden has long been an international leader in the environmental field. You can say that modern environmentalism was born 1972 in Stockholm, at the first United Nations Conference on Environment. Since then Sweden has been an environmental innovator.
Following a dedicated clean-up program, Stockholm has come to a result where the city offers the best environmental qualities of all European capitals. For the 2004 Olympic Games we can present the Olympic Family with a natural arena for sports, with outstanding ambient air quality, and water in the harbour that you can drink. This means the long distance runner is breathing "world record air" with less pollution than comparable cities, and the triathlon swimming can begin right outside the Town Hall with no health risks for the athletes.