Athletes share their concerns as climate change threatens their sport and their health

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Pragnya Mohan has been a professional triathlete for nearly a decade, but summers in her native India are now so hot that she can no longer train there. She escaped the heat to train in the UK but worries about the day when a warming world kills her sport completely.

American discus thrower Sam Mattis described temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit). 2021 US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, leaving some fans, officials and athletes unconscious. And New Zealand footballer Katie Rood recalled training in thermal chambers to prepare for the Tokyo Olympicsand the warm-up is interrupted high temperature and humidity.

All three spoke at the UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss the threat posed by climate change to them, the fans and the sport itself. With billions of fans around the world, they are among a number of athletes and leagues trying to get more people aware of climate change and take action.

“In the future, if climate change is not addressed and thought through, triathlon may cease to exist,” Mohan said at the panel discussion.

It’s not just about warmth. Mohan noted that this year Olympic Games in Paris Some triathlons have had to be postponed due to heavy rainfall, which has worsened as a warming atmosphere holds more water. contributed to high levels of bacteria in the Seine River.

Some leading football clubs have united in a climate change alliance aimed at reducing emissions and inspiring fans to take action against climate change. One of them is La Liga club Real Betis. Rafael Muela Pastor, general manager of the club’s foundation, said at another panel in Baku that football was “the most powerful and popular sport in the world” and it was imperative that “we have to do something.”

“We have a superpower and we are responsible for it,” he said.

Lesley Mabon, lecturer in environmental systems at the United Kingdom’s Open University, says athletes can raise awareness of issues such as global warming, but the most transformative activism often comes from elsewhere.

“I think athletes can move the needle, but sometimes it goes beyond the highest levels,” Mabon said. “The financial implications of what’s at stake really complicate the situation, and especially the governing bodies – the leagues, the FIFA of this world – it’s very difficult to get them to take action.”

FIFA, world football’s governing body, was indifferent to concerns over heat and human rights over the 2022 World Cup. Qatara country criticized for its treatment of migrant workers, among other things. And sometimes the seemingly positive actions of sports leaders can be nothing more than greenwashing.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was present COP29 and posted on Instagram about expanding partnerships with Pacific Island countries to promote “the development of climate-resilient football” and raise awareness of climate change. This happened just a few months after FIFA signed the agreement. sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco.

Women footballers from around the world sign an open agreement letter calling on FIFA to end the deal, citing both the country’s record on women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and the impact of fossil fuel extraction on climate change.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

“It’s very difficult to take seriously or trust anything coming from the higher levels when you still have these kinds of deals,” Mabon said.

Climate change is also making sports more expensive and increasing inequality. Jessica Murphree, an assistant professor of sports administration at the University of North Carolina, said athletes will have to travel further and spend more money on training and competition as some locations become unsuitable for the sport due to too hot weather or not enough snow.

“This will have a huge impact on athletes and their applicants,” she said. “This drives an even bigger socio-economic wedge between the haves and the have-nots, which then becomes a justice issue.”

Sports are looking to adapt to a hotter planet. Sometimes competitions are moved to other locations or start times are moved to cooler times of the day. Then there’s technology: Qatar spent billions air-conditioning stadiums during the World Cup to keep fans and players cool.

But sport can’t get out of the climate crisis with air conditioning, said Rood, the New Zealand footballer.

The energy it requires “has a huge environmental impact,” she said in an interview, adding: “These are not just isolated events that happen once or twice a year. It’s training and preparation… those conditions don’t have to be created every time.”

And that worries Tina Muir, a former elite runner from Britain who talks about the threat of climate change through the business she founded, Running for Real. Athletes are conditioned to push their limits, she said.

“For a lot of athletes, it will be like a war of attrition,” Muir said. “This is the one who can best cope with these difficult conditions. … but it also becomes a bit of a safety game where you can hold your own, but you end up causing yourself long-term damage.”

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Pineda reported from Los Angeles.

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