The Olympic motto “faster, higher, stronger” has an addition: hotter.
At this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, with temperatures above 35°C, beach volleyball player Youssef Krou fell ill and needed medical attention. Others cooled themselves with ice on their necks. Tennis, football and field hockey have had hydration breaks.
In the previous edition of the mega sporting event, in Tokyo, in 2021, with difficulty breathing, tennis player Daniil Medvedev interrupted a match twice and told the judge: “I can finish the game, but I could die”. With heatstroke, tennis player Paula Badosa left the court in a wheelchair.
These are not isolated incidents. In recent years, climate change has created yet another rival for athletes: extreme heat. And they are putting the future of sporting events at risk.
Global warming has affected the Winter Olympics for decades. Beijing 2022 would not have been possible without artificially produced snow. In Italy, host of the next edition, 90% of ski resorts need artificial snow.
This month, the ski World Cup stage that was to be held in Canada was canceled due to lack of snow. The same happened in other competitions. According to the IOC (International Olympic Committee), by mid-century, only 10 to 12 countries will be able to host the Winter Olympics.
“We need to create a new, sustainable model for the population living in the mountains and for the Winter Games”, said the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, after the confirmation of the French Alps as host in 2030. In the region, 40% of Ski resorts use artificial snow.
On a planet that continues to heat up, sport is trying to survive and ensure the safety of athletes.
After temperatures above 40°C at last year’s Qatar GP, in which drivers suffered dehydration and heatstroke, Formula 1 announced a “cockpit” cooling system in case of extreme heat, which could come into force next season .
A study published by the scientific journal Nature warned FIFA (International Football Federation) that in at least 10 of the 16 stadiums for the 2026 World Cup, players are at risk due to the heat. With temperatures that can reach 50°C, researchers have suggested adjustments to departure times.
Another study, published in Nature Climate Change, showed that if the planet’s temperature rises by 2°C above pre-industrial levels – this could occur in the coming decades – around 1,200 ski resorts in Europe, 53%, will be at risk. without using artificial snow. If the rise is 4°C, 98% will be affected.
Making artificial snow uses water and electricity and contributes to climate change. Hugues François, one of the study’s authors, explains that, while this corresponds to 2% to 4% of the resorts’ carbon footprint, between 50% and 80% are linked to transport to these regions, by means such as plane and car.
“Travel and accommodation are the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions,” François told Sheet. “The more climate change gets worse, the more we need to make snow. And tourist travel makes climate change worse through its greenhouse gas emissions. A never-ending cycle.”
Researcher at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, François advocates a change in the tourism model.
“The ability to ski by the end of the century depends on our actions today to limit global warming, on reducing travel. When the world is 4°C warmer, we will probably be more concerned about our ability to feed the planet than about have fun in the mountains,” he said.
The IOC has been identifying locations with suitable infrastructure and climate to host future Winter Games. A fixed group of hosts is not ruled out, in a rotation of venues in Europe, North America and Asia.
“Increasing temperatures will make snow a mirage in many ski resorts, with no guarantee of having raw materials, natural snow, or temperatures to produce artificial snow on the days scheduled for the Games. This applies to the Alps, but not only” , said to Sheet Nicola Pech, vice-president of the NGO Mountain Wilderness Italia.
“It is necessary to review the Winter Olympic Games, recovering their original spirit of sobriety and with competitions only where conditions exist to guarantee their holding without distorting the natural territory”, he added.
If 2024 marks the centenary of the first edition of the Winter Games, held in Chamonix in 1924, only with climate action will this and other sporting events exist for another hundred years and beyond.
