Climate change is one of the most difficult adversaries any athlete faces, warned Brazilian football player Tamires, part of a group of 40 elite sportspeople involved in launching a new global campaign that will be presented at next month’s COP30 summit in Belém.
Tamires, who played two World Cups, is joined in the initiative by names such as Brazilian tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia, Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira, Romanian swimmer David Popovici and English football player Raheem Sterling to support Adapt2Win.
With climate change already impacting elite sport, the global multimedia campaign launched on Monday (27) and supported by the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, is urging governments to prioritize investment in climate adaptation ahead of COP30.
Tamires, 38, described the challenges of playing football in Brazil, where extreme heat and damaging rain pose obstacles, and said adapting to climate change is no longer optional.
“In sport, we learn to adapt every day – to new teams, new tactics, new opponents. But climate change is a different kind of adversary. It’s stronger, more unpredictable, and no one can face it alone,” she said.
Forty athletes signed an open letter on the topic. A shocking film showing the dramatic effect of floods and fires on sporting venues will be shown at COP30 in Belém next month.
The film begins with a caption stating “this could be the worst defeat in history or the greatest comeback ever.”
According to campaign organizers, climate-related disasters will cause US$417 billion (R$2.24 trillion) in economic losses in 2024, but less than 10% of global climate finance is directed to adaptation.
“For me, this is personal,” said Sterling, who was born in Jamaica but played 82 times for England.
“I’ve seen how climate change is reshaping life across the Caribbean. Through my foundation’s work on preventing mosquito-borne diseases, I’ve seen how simple, community-led solutions can make a huge difference. COP30 is the time for leaders to support these solutions,” the striker added.
The campaign also highlights grassroots efforts already underway, such as SMS drought alerts in Kenya and heat-resistant maternal care in Sierra Leone.
“Adap2Win reminds us that every sector, from government to business to sport, has a role to play in creating change,” said Ana Toni, executive director of COP30.
Other signatories include South African rugby player Bongi Mbonambi, Nigerian footballer Kenneth Omeruo and two-time world champion American sailor Mike Buckley.
“Growing up in Nigeria, you could always count on the seasons – when the rains would come, when the fields would turn green. But in recent years, everything has changed,” said Omeruo, who has 69 international caps and was part of the Nigeria squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013.
“The weather is unpredictable, communities are struggling, and even the soccer fields where we trained were flooded or dried out. Climate change is something we live with every day.”
