How will climate change affect athletes?

I’m about to undergo a 30°C temperature change so that I can participate in my sport. This is clearly a lot, and I will have minimal time to acclimatize before I have to start performing. Thinking about how to manage this has me thinking about how climate change will impact athletes. Schneider and Mücke (2024) asked this same question.

Surprisingly, climate change has not received a lot of attention (Schneider and Mücke). This is problematic for professional or top amateur athletes, but it can also be problematic for other athletes including recreational level athletes. They grouped the impacts into direct and indirect. I’m going to focus on the direct effects they identified.

Heatwaves are the first issue. This isn’t about the one degree or more average temperature increases in many parts of the globe. This is about the number of days with extremely high temperatures. In Germany, the number of days over 30°C are expected to triple by the end of the century. This is potentially a huge challenge because it can take athletes time to adjust to these temperatures but the nature of heatwaves mean that the temperature will fluctuate faster than what you can adapt to. Athletes of all abilities will be impacted, but recreational athletes will be more affected potentially because top level athletes actually tolerate higher body temperatures better.

Less predictable are the impacts of increasing extreme weather. Changing precipitation patterns, as well as events like floods and lightning strikes all have to potential to increase risks for athletes.

Increased UV radiation is also a potential risk through low ozone levels that increase UV penetration, increased sunny days — Germany has gained 100 hours of annual sunlight in the last 50 years, and milder winters result in longer recreational hours outside. All three of these add up to increased UV exposure and the associated risks.

The authors also discuss indirect risks including air pollution, allergens, bacteria, and viruses.

All together this adds up to reasons to act. Some sporting bodies are taking interest in climate action but sports have an opportunity to inspire action at multiple levels from individual to corporate (sponsors) to governments. Particularly mega events like the World Cup and the Olympics have potential to lead change.