By By Sandro Angulo Rincón
Tokyo Olympics, 11 a.m., Wednesday, July 28, 2021: Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev, ranked second in the world, approaches the umpire at the center of the tennis court. Tilting his head slightly upward, he protests: “I can finish the match, but I can also die. And if I die, will it be your responsibility?”
Source: Infobae.
These scenes highlight the extreme weather conditions faced by professional and amateur athletes due to increasingly frequent heatwaves that endanger lives and fuel speculation about the potential extinction of certain sports by 2050.
Both the Russian player and his opponent, Italian Fabio Fognini, whom Medvedev defeated (6-2, 3-6, 6-2) at Ariake Tennis Park, endured temperatures of 37°C (98.6°F) and relative humidity exceeding 70%. “At the start of the match, I struggled to breathe. It felt as if my diaphragm was locked. By the end of the second set, everything went black; I felt sluggish, on the verge of collapsing on the court,” Medvedev told the doctor who attended to him twice during the game.
Although it remains an underexplored area, abrupt climate changes are affecting sports in several ways: (1) altering schedules or canceling major global sporting events; (2) causing physiological effects on athletes; (3) discouraging regular physical activity; and (4) increasing humanity’s energy footprint on ecosystems due to the excessive number of tournaments and competitions held annually.
Changes or Cancellations
According to Chris McMillan in “Seeing it as a Whole: A Research Agenda for the Sociology of Sport and Climate Change”, the Winter Olympics and snow sports are the most vulnerable to disappearing due to climate change or will require technological adaptations to continue. Some of the most memorable images from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics were directly tied to weather conditions: rain and green mountains during the heart of winter. In the event’s early days, under intense scrutiny from international media, organizers transported snow from nearby regions to ensure that freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions could proceed.
This improvised solution was both costly and inefficient but not uncommon. Snow shortages have become so pervasive in winter sports that cancellations due to warm weather no longer come as a surprise. Recent examples include the cancellation of the American Birkebeiner Challenge, North America’s largest cross-country ski event, in January 2017, and the St. Moritz Paralympic Alpine Skiing World Cup in Switzerland in December 2017.
Winter sports athletes appear concerned about the potential extinction of several outdoor disciplines. However, as suggested by the findings of Knowles and other researchers in their study, “Climate Change versus Winter Sports: Can Athlete Climate Activism Change the Score?”, these athletes, despite their awareness of climate disruptions, refrain from engaging in proactive environmental activism outside hegemonic political and media frameworks. The main reason is the fear of losing social media followers and sponsorships from corporate brands.
Decline in Enjoyment and Motivation
A pressing concern both now and in the near future is the diminishing enjoyment and motivation for outdoor physical activity. Extreme temperatures, threats of torrential rains, and hurricanes are prompting people to seek shelter indoors, connecting instead to social media and television. While the more fortunate can afford air-conditioned gyms or high-end home fitness equipment, these options are economically unfeasible for the majority, leaving many without viable alternatives.
The 2022 Global Status Report on Physical Activity by the WHO estimates that nearly 500 million new cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will arise due to physical inactivity between 2020 and 2030, costing an estimated USD 300 billion annually in medical treatments. The report highlights that nearly half (47%) of these NCD cases will stem from hypertension and 43% from depression. Three-quarters of these cases are projected to occur in low- and middle-income countries, while high-income countries will bear 70% of the healthcare costs for treating conditions related to physical inactivity.
The WHO has underscored that individuals who engage in the recommended levels of exercise have a 20% to 30% lower risk of premature death and a reduced risk of 7% to 8% for cardiovascular diseases, depression, and dementia, as well as a 5% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Physical activity is also vital for preventing cognitive decline, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and lowering the risk of several types of cancer, particularly breast and colon cancers.
Moreover, exercise contributes to enhanced academic performance in children, strengthens muscles and bones, and plays a crucial role in preventing falls among the elderly. These findings emphasize the wide-reaching benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle, not only for individual health but also for reducing the global burden of disease.
Energy Footprint and Competition Overload
Many cities worldwide are embracing the trend of becoming “sports cities,” vying to host tournaments and competitions across a range of disciplines for children, youth, and adults, both male and female. The primary goal is to stimulate the local economy by attracting athletes, their teams, and tourists who spend money on accommodations, dining, and other services.
However, this commercial strategy negatively impacts two key areas: human and environmental factors. On the human side, athletes face an overloaded competition calendar, leaving little time for training and recovery. On the environmental side, issues arise from extensive travel using fossil fuel-based transportation, the consumption of natural resources, carbon emissions, and poor waste management.
Football exemplifies these dual challenges. Joseph Blatter, former FIFA president, admitted in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Watson that he transformed FIFA into a “monster,” a money-making machine:
“Today, there’s a Champions League with 36 teams, a Europa League with 36, and a Conference League with 36. Then there’s the Nations League. The next World Cup in 2026 will include 48 countries. Additionally, starting in 2025, there will be a FIFA Club World Cup with 32 teams. Everyone applauds because there’s so much money, but this oversaturation is leading to a decline in interest in football.”
When journalist Henry Habegger asked him, “Where is football headed?”, Blatter responded:
“For now, things are heading in the wrong direction almost everywhere. Ticket prices keep rising. With increasing commercialization, there’s more violence at all levels, on and off the field. Instead of remaining what it once was—a sociocultural asset, a place to learn how to win but also how to lose—football is increasingly becoming a battleground in every sense.”
Sports also have a contentious relationship with natural resources, particularly water, and with efforts to produce cleaner air. However, various studies aim to mitigate the environmental damage caused by both professional and amateur physical activities. How many liters of water does a cricket or football field require? Which countries are more dangerous: those with high homicide rates or those that emit the most greenhouse gases? What proposals exist for sports not only to adapt to climate change but also to mitigate it efficiently and effectively? These topics will be addressed in the next edition of Agon&Areté.
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