As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prepares to elect a new president, more than 400 Summer and Winter Olympians have united in an open letter urging the incoming leader to make protecting the planet their top priority. 

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The Olympics are a rare moment of global unity when the world gathers to witness the best athletes in the world achieve incredible feats of athleticism. We hold our collective breath as sprinters race for gold, ski jumpers defy gravity and rowers pull in perfect unison towards the finish line. We marvel as gymnasts, divers, figure skaters and snowboarders contort themselves into seemingly impossible shapes. We fawn over moments of friendship and solidarity that remind us of our collective humanity. 

In recent years, however, the Olympics have become a different stage entirely – one where the realities of climate change are playing out in real time. Rising temperatures and declining snowfall are making it harder than ever to organize the world’s biggest sporting event and athletes from around the world are sounding the alarm. 

This week, in Costa Navarino, Greece, members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will gather to elect a new president. Ahead of the election, athletes have published an open letter signed by 406 Olympians from 89 countries and more than 50 different sports. Their ask? That the future president ensures the Games remain viable for future generations by making the care of our planet their number one priority. 

The Olympics as we know them are at risk with worsening environmental conditions disrupting competitions and impacting the countries that make up the Olympic family. Recurring storms, floods, droughts, or wildfires are reducing opportunities to practice and shifting participation rates, particularly for small-island nations. Recognizing these growing threats on training, competition schedules and performance, athletes have been driven to sign the open letter and call on the next President of the IOC to take decisive action to ensure the Olympics remain accessible and safe for generations to come. 

Many of them hail from some of the world’s most climate vulnerable regions. They represent small-island nations like the Bahamas, Cabo Verde, Fiji, and Samoa, as well as countries facing severe environmental impacts like Colombia, Kenya, Laos, Pakistan and Zambia. 

“Here in Kenya and around the world, we’re already experiencing the harsh realities of climate change, from extreme weather to rising temperatures,” said Ferdinand Omanyala, Africa’s 100m record holder. “We can’t afford to wait. Protecting our planet must be a top priority so that both athletes and communities can thrive in a cleaner, more sustainable world.”

Tokyo 2020 is a notable example of the grueling conditions Olympians increasingly face at the Summer Games. The then-hottest in history saw temperatures soar above 34C with humidity around 70%. It is no surprise then that an estimated one in 100 athletes suffered heat-related illnesses while competing. The brutal heat famously led tennis player Daniil Medvedev to tell an umpire, “I can finish the match, but I can die. If I die, who will take responsibility?”

Hot weather affects athletic performance in both subtle and severe ways. It disrupts sleep, accelerates dehydration, and increases the risk of illness and injury. During exercise, the human body naturally produces heat. When combined with prolonged exposure to high temperatures and humidity, this can lead to heat cramps and exhaustion, or worse, to heat stroke. While athletes are at higher risk, officials, volunteers and spectators are also vulnerable, particularly during long outdoor events.

More on the topic: Understanding the Risks of Extreme Heat

Tokyo was not an anomaly. A 2023 report warns that temperatures during the Games are now 3.1C warmer than in 1924, making dangerous heat waves increasingly likely. By 2050, previous host cities of the Summer Games like Tokyo, Beijing, Athens, Seoul, Rome and Barcelona could be too hot to safely stage the Olympics again. Meanwhile, at least half the cities bidding for the 2036 Summer Olympics are liable to temperatures that exceed safe limits.

As global temperatures rise, the Winter Olympics are also affected with unreliable snowfall and shorter winters, which make outdoor competition harder than ever. This is drastically reducing the possible locations for the Games, with the IOC warning that only 10 countries will still have the right climate to host by 2040.

For many winter athletes, this issue is deeply personal. Elana Meyers Taylor, five-time Olympic Medallist in bobsleigh for the US, expressed her concerns: “As a winter Olympian and a mother of two, I feel so strongly that the next IOC President must prioritize care for the planet, ensuring that the sports we love– and the winter landscapes that make them possible – are preserved.”

The Beijing 2022 Olympics were the first to rely entirely on artificial snow, a process that is both costly and unsustainable. Producing artificial snow requires vast amounts of water and energy, which puts local ecosystems under tremendous strain. As Milano-Cortina 2026 approaches, these concerns will be in the spotlight. Temperatures are rising faster in the European Alps than in many other regions and 90% of ski slopes in Italy now rely on artificial snow. Calculations suggest that the annual water consumption needed to maintain Italy’s Alpine pistes could soon rival that of a city of a million people.

Artificial snow is only a temporary fix, not a long-term solution. The next IOC President will need to work closely with host cities and athletes to develop ambitious strategies that safeguard the viability of the Winter Games. 

The IOC has its share of responsibility when it comes to addressing climate change. The Games’ carbon footprint is massive, largely due to travel by fans, athletes, journalists, and organizers, which is responsible for almost two-thirds of the total Olympic carbon dioxide (CO2) emission.

The carbon footprint of the 2022 Olympics – estimated at 17,175 tonnes of CO2 equivalent – came 72.3% from business travel, 8.9% from freight, 5.2% from employee commuting, 4.5% from accommodation, 4.2% in energy use in buildings and vehicles, 2.5% from food and beverages, and 1.6% from uniforms.

In major sporting events, travel is estimated to account for 85% of total emissions. Under outgoing President Thomas Bach, the IOC committed to cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030. But Olympians are calling for even bolder action, including stricter standards on high-polluting sponsors.

Some experts argue that the preservation of the Olympics hinges on a total reimagining – restricting international travel, decentralizing events or rotating between a small number of sustainable host cities. Whether these are feasible options is up for debate. Come what may, the next president of the IOC faces a historic opportunity to shape the future of the Games.

Far from being an insurmountable challenge, this is a chance to lead the way and transform the Olympics into a model for sustainability. Athletes have made their stance clear: climate action must be a top priority. 

“The Olympics have held and fulfilled the dreams of so many over its history,” said Hannah Mills, double Olympic champion sailor and IOC Sustainability Ambassador. “But I can’t have any bigger dream than a future in which my children can thrive.”

Featured image: Bo Zhang/Unsplash.

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climate action climate change extreme heat olympics sports winter olympics winter sports