The Melting Podium: How Winter Athletes are Fighting for Their Sport

By Dean Muller, President. Wisconsin for Environmental Justice  

The survival of the Winter Olympics depends on two simple ingredients: snow and cold. As global temperatures rise, these essentials are becoming scarce, forcing the world’s most elite athletes to confront a warming planet in real time. What began as a personal observation on the slopes has transformed into a powerful movement, as Olympians trade their medals for microphones to advocate for urgent climate action.

A Warming Arena

The data regarding the future of winter sports is stark. Research suggests that if global emissions are not significantly reduced, only one of the 21 previous Winter Olympics host cities will have a climate reliable enough to host the games by the end of this century. This shift is not a distant threat; it is currently disrupting competition schedules and athlete safety.

Athletes as Advocates: Protect Our Winters

One of the most influential forces in this movement is Protect Our Winters (POW). Founded by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, the organization has expanded into a global network active in 15 countries. POW bridges the gap between the sporting community and policymakers, leveraging the platform of world-class athletes to demand systemic change.

The impact of this advocacy is increasingly formal and organized:

• The 2023 Schütter Letter: Led by Austrian skier Julian Schütter and signed by over 200 ski professionals, this document challenged the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). It criticized current climate policies as insufficient and proposed a total redesign of race schedules to minimize the carbon footprint of international air travel.

• The "Ski Fossil Free" Petition: Filmer and skier Nikolai Schirmer recently delivered a petition with over 21,000 signatures to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The goal is to force a formal review of the ethical and environmental implications of accepting sponsorships from fossil fuel companies.

The Frontline Perspective

For athletes like 19-year-old Olympic snowboarder Bea Kim, the motivation is simple: they are losing their workplace. Kim has observed glaciers receding and winters starting later each year. At age 17, she took this message to the United Nations, emphasizing that the environment does not adhere to political boundaries. She argues that climate change is a human issue, not a partisan one, because the melting of the glaciers remains indifferent to how an individual votes.

The Financial Irony

The movement has also cast a harsh light on the "sponsorship paradox." While winter sports are uniquely vulnerable to global warming, many governing bodies still rely on funding from major oil and gas entities. Athletes are increasingly vocal about this contradiction, arguing that the "show" cannot continue if the very industry funding it is accelerating the disappearance of winter.

What’s at Stake?

The table below illustrates the shrinking window for winter sports based on current warming trends:

Region	Current Average Winter Length	Projected Length (2050)	Impact on Sports
European Alps	5 Months	3.5 Months	Loss of low-altitude resorts
North America (Rockies)	6 Months	4 Months	Shorter competitive seasons
East Asia	4 Months	2.5 Months	Heavy reliance on artificial snow

The "Antarctic inspiration" for these athletes is a reminder of the fragility of the Earth's cryosphere. By utilizing their influence, these competitors are ensuring that their legacy is defined not just by the records they set but by the winters they helped save.

Want to Learn More? Go to: w4ej.org