A few days before the presidential election in the IOC, athletes focus on the climate crisis. For them it is also about the future of the Olympic Games.
An inferno in the Olympic city Lahardly any snow and ice for winter games. The climate crisis is also for the Olympic movement “No longer a distant threat, but a current and growing danger”. Around 400 Olympic participants from more than 50 sports indicate this in an open letter.
Athletes demand climate protection as a top priority
This is aimed at the candidates of the presidential election in the IOC. The demand: The successor of Thomas Bach, who will be chosen on March 20 in Greece, is intended to raise climate protection to the top priority of his term. Some German Olympic champions also signed. Among them Laura Lindemann (triathlon), Laura Ludwig (beach volleyball), Tabea Kemme and Anja Mittag (football). In view of the dramatically progressive climate change, they no longer want to watch in other way.
Bob’s slide Thorsten Margis won four gold medals. He says: “Every fraction of a second counts in bobsleigh – you have to push with full strength from the start, work as a team and give everything to achieve the finish line. When it comes to climate protection and a strong tour of the IOC, this is no different: We need courageous teamwork and a clear way to protect our planet – and with it the future of the Olympic Games.“
Climate crisis get out of sight
So far, the election campaign for the highest office of the Olympic world has hardly been about the climate, as before the Bundestag election, the global political situation has pushed the crisis out of sight. The initiators of the letter want to change that. The project was initiated by British Olympian around IOC sustainability ambassador Hannah MillsSail Olympic champion in 2016 and 2021. You explicitly refer to the devastating fires in Los AngelesVenue for summer games 2028, at the beginning of the year.
The athletes ask for an early meeting with the new IOC President or the new IOC President to discuss, “How the Olympic movement can further strengthen its leadership role in coping with the climate crisis”. You demand “To reinforce the IOC’s obligation to quickly reduce carbon dioxide emissions” And to promote sustainability in the venues as well as the determination of a common standard for sponsors.
Some IOC donors are repeatedly criticized, including Coca-Cola last year. The NGO France Nature Environnement submitted a complaint against the US company in France. She accused Coca-Cola of misleading consumers during the summer games by the beverage supplier despite the use of plastic bottles “Zero waste” promised.
Business model At the center of the IOC election campaign
The presidential candidates, including the favorites Sebastian Coe (Great Britain), Juan Antonio Samaranch (Spain) and Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe), positioned themselves in public with admissions to the business model of the IOC or the protection of women’s sports from transgender athletes.
But the athletes clearly formulated: “Increasing temperatures and extreme weather conditions are already messing up the competition calendar, endangering famous venues and affect the health of athletes and fans. The extreme heat gives rise to serious concerns about the possibility of safely aligning the Summer Olympics in the future.”