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Sport 2050

  1. Imagined contributions from the future...

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Sport 2050BBC Sport

    For Sport 2050 we have tried to imagine a range of impacts on a variety of different sports and locations in the future. By necessity that particular spread was narrow in focus but it is likely that the impacts will be felt in a much wider range of locations and sports, from elite level to grass roots.

    Here we have the familiar format of a live text but with imagined contributors from the future, who tell us their different experiences of global warming’s impact on sport in their region, in order to catch a broader range of possible implications.

    As with other elements of this project we have sought to contextualise those posts with comments from our panel of experts.

    Additionally we have also included some contemporary responses to our wider, week-long project that have been sent in.

    For further information, please visit the Sport 2050 page.

  2. 'Athletes can be a huge power for good'

    The view from 2021

    Sport 2050

    I’ve been a GB rower for the last seven years and last March I was selected in the GB Rowing Team’s Olympic Squad before the Olympics were postponed. However, since last April have been trying to unlock the potential of athletes as advocates for the planet.

    As part of Champions for Earth I co-authored a letter to the UK government calling for a green recovery to the pandemic, which was signed by over 300 GB Olympians and Paralympians - including household names like Mo Farah, Hannah Cockroft, Steve Redgrave, Becky Adlington, Paula Radcliffe and the Brownlee brothers. We’re now working on a project that aims to make Team GB’s participation in Olympic Games climate-positive.

    Athletes can be such a huge power for good in this space, because the qualities they develop - like resilience, determination, courage, ambition, and a sustained drive towards a long-term goal - are exactly the ones we need to face climate change.

    Melissa Wilson, Team GB rower

  3. Ghana issues football warning to pupils over rising temperatures

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Football training in AfricaGetty Images

    School pupils in Ghana have been ordered to stop playing football except between July and September, as rising temperatures make outdoor games too dangerous.

    Increasing heat and declining rainfall during the year has left only the peak rainy season as conditions suitable for outdoor games.

    Sports minister Rebecca Kuffour said the Ghanaian government was now looking to build sheltered and ventilated five-a-side pitches, which would allow games to be played all year round, with the first pitches due for completion in Accra by November 2050.

    "It is the only way to make football safe for our schools," she added.

  4. 'We must ensure youth players adapt to hot environments'

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Extreme heat is already affecting young players around the world - Kate Sambrook

  5. 'We have no time to waste'

    The view from 2021

    Sport 2050

    One of the real challenges for sports people and their organisations in 2021 is to identify the risks that atmospheric climate might pose for their sport, and if necessary, then to manage any impacts of climate on their sport that are experienced. This is no easy task for sports people who are already busy enough juggling the multiple contemporary challenges for sport. From governance and integrity issues, to the complexity of globalisation, to the challenges of technology and social media…and now COVID…sports people have enough to think about in 2021.

    However, added to this list of sport’s challenges is now the wicked problem of climate change. While there is some high quality research that has explored the relationship between sport and it’s direct or indirect greenhouse gas emissions, one of the real challenges for sports is to discover the risks that climate poses for climate-exposed sports and sports people.

    And then, how do we manage these risks? We’re only just beginning to develop answers to these questions, but work by Madeleine Orr on baseball and cross country skiing, the British Association for Sustainable Sport on cricket and Daniel Scott and colleagues on ski tourism has given us some important insights into what is possible. Some words of caution though. As David Goldblatt and colleagues have noted, sport has plenty of work to do. We have no time to waste. Sport can act on climate in 2021!

    Greg Dingle, Lecturer in Sport Management, La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

  6. Sumo stables must include air conditioning from 2050

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Sumo trainingGetty Images

    Centuries of tradition will come to an end this year, after all sumo training centres in Tokyo were ordered to introduce advanced air conditioning and cooling fans to protect their wrestlers.

    The training studios, or heyas, have traditionally been small brick rooms where wrestlers train from early morning until late at night.

    Although the studios have previously allowed opened doors to ventilate the heyas, authorities have instructed more than four dozen heyas in Tokyo and the surrounding area to introduce air conditioning and better ventilation, as rising temperatures and humidity across Japan have seen the number of heat stroke cases among the trainees.

  7. 'Change needed to protect individuals'

    The view from 2021

    Nick Watanabe
    Associate Professor, Sport and Entertainment Management at University of South Carolina

    Traditionally, sumo stables (where sumo wrestlers train) typically do not have heating or air conditioning, making training a gruelling ordeal. However, due to the impact of global warming and heat island phenomenon, sumo stables have begun to install air conditioning systems. With temperatures continuing to rise in Japan, especially in major urban area, it is seen as the first of many changes that may need to be made to protect individuals who train and compete in traditional martial arts.

  8. 'A carbon neutral future is possible'

    The view from 2021

    Sport 2050

    In addition to The Spirit of Football's domestic and international humanitarian “Fair Play” education programmes, that include climate awareness modules, we have been implementing 'The Ball Project' since 2002. Every World Cup since 2002, The Ball kicks off from London’s Battersea Park, where the first official game of football was played in 1864, travelling overland to the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup.

    During each journey, The Ball unites people along the way within nations and across borders, promoting the world as a network of positive relationships, rather than just a series of transactions. In addition, The Ball also profiles causes such as people with special needs or refugees. More recently we have recognised The Ball is the ideal tool SOF has to offer to contribute towards tackling the climate crisis.

    The Ball will travel, when possible, carbon neutral to two World Cups in 12 months, demonstrating a carbon zero future is possibleSpirit of Football

    In November 2021 in Glasgow The Ball will begin its sixth journey. It will travel as carbon neutral as possible, and for the first time, to both the 2022 Men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar and onto the 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup in New Zealand/Australia, some 23,000+ km across 23+ countries. Using a range of creative approaches, The Ball 2022/23 will utilise football’s global reach to highlight climate action en route from London to Auckland and to promote fair play and equality.

    It will listen to local people as well as motivate individuals, institutions, and governing bodies to reduce pollution and take positive climate action. We envisage The Ball will continue its climate action journey to subsequent World Cups. Like Sport 2050, part of our ambition is to help make “the abstract future impacts of climate change more real for people [globally] by looking at how it might impact on their everyday lives”.

    Richard Hamilton, Director, Spirit of Football

  9. 'Skating outside has become folklore'

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Outdoor ice hockey on a frozen lakeGetty Images

    I grew up playing outdoor hockey every day after school, and raised my kids to skate. My daughters could skate before they could walk. It’s something we always did as a family. I’m expecting my first grandchild this year, and they won’t get to experience skating.

    We just don’t have the weather for it anymore and the city has stopped making the outdoor rinks, because it just costs too much to do it artificially. This will be the first year in my life that I am not going to get my skates sharpened, because it’s not worth it anymore. Skating outside is just gone. It’s become folklore.

    Kevin Evers, 58, Montreal, Canada

  10. 'To lose the culture of outdoor hockey would hit hard'

    The view from 2021

    Madeleine Orr
    Assistant professor of sports management, SUNY Cortland

  11. Bowlers left green as drought destroys 2050 season

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Crown green bowlingGetty Images

    The severe drought which hit Yorkshire in 2049 has had another unexpected knock-on - wiping out this year's bowling season.

    Cliff Baker, president of the Keighley and Riddlesden Bowling Society, said clubs across the county had been severely hit by the spike in temperatures and lack of rain, which has destroyed most of the well-kept bowling greens in the region.

    "A lot of our members are facing closure," he said.

    "There's no chance of rescuing the greens this year. The only way play takes place is if artificial turf is laid - and the cost of that is more than most clubs can shoulder right now."

  12. 'Action has to start somewhere'

    The view from 2021

    Sport 2050

    Birmingham County FA are working to achieve a goal of a low carbon, greener game from grassroots up. In February this year we were accepted as signatory members to the UN’s Sport for Climate Action Framework, holding ourselves accountable for the environmental impact of football and helping provide our member clubs effective solutions that will create a more sustainable game for future generations. The Save Today, Play Tomorrow programme is the outcome, and this will underpin our strategy for the next 4 years.

    This programme of work focuses on four workstreams where we feel grassroots football can make significant changes, quite a challenge but action has to start somewhere and as a regional governing body we feel we are pioneering this work with the great support of some fantastic partner organisations to help provide a blueprint for other County FA’s in the network and sports outside of football to follow.

    Richard Lindsay, Birmingham County Football Association

  13. Air pollution could hit everyone

    The view from 2021

    Kate Sambrook
    PhD researcher with the Priestley International Centre for Climate

    In 2019, wildfires ravaged parts of Australia for several months. Due to the fires, parts of Australia recorded the worst-ever air quality to date, with PM2.5 levels reaching nearly 400µg/m3 in parts of Sydney, this level of pollution is described by the World Health Organisation as hazardous, meaning that everyone may experience serious health effects. Researchers have estimated that the bushfire smoke was responsible for 417 excess deaths, 1124 hospitalisations for cardiovascular problems and 2027 hospitalisations for respiratory problems.

  14. 'They can only go outside wearing a mask'

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Children exercise in face masksGetty Images

    New World Health Organisations on air quality are affecting our pupils and their chance to do PE now. We have to take readings to make sure the air quality is ok for them to go out in, and lesson timings are shortened. Most times they can only go outside now wearing a mask, which has a serious impact on how they train.

  15. 'Sport is a hugely effective vehicle for communicating positive sustainability messaging'

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    What excites me about the connection between sport and climate change is that in the same way that we seek world leading sporting performance along with wide participation, we can seek world leading climate mitigation actions.

    Sport reaches all sectors of society and can be used as a hugely effective vehicle for communicating positive sustainability messaging. One of the real challengers for sport in the future is the large number of people that move around in support of their teams and their associated carbon footprint. Major sporting tournaments are estimated to emit around 2 million tonnes of CO2 just from their spectator movements. Although national sports clubs don't have the same carbon footprint, this figure would still be significant and we need to counter this by ensuring our main stadia are connected via excellent public transport operated on green energy.

    Tom Dunn, Commercial Assistant, Middlesex Cricket

  16. 2050 Dakar rally scrapped over conditions

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Organisers of the 2050 Dakar Rally have been forced to call off this year's race after worsening conditions made completing the route impossible.

    Increased temperatures and dust made finishing the 6,000 mile trip around the Middle East beyond the capacities of all but the most hardened trucks.

    The organisers are to issue new guidelines for the 2051 race to car and motorbike manufacturers over the robustness requirements for competition next year.

    A truck races alongside camels as it competes in the Dakar rallyGetty Images

  17. 'This latest US heatwave is no fun at all'

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Playing basketball outdoors in the USAGetty Images

    I bought a vintage pair of Air Jordan’s last week after saving up for months today - but rather than making me fly like Mike, I was stuck to the court as the heat started to melt the soles! This latest US heatwave is no fun at all and not good for B’ball. Me and my friends can’t afford to hire one of the indoor air-conditioned courts as prices have gone up so much.

    Vince, 26, New York, USA

  18. 'Increasingly uncomfortable plastic use'

    The view from 2021

    Sport 2050

    While efforts have been made to recycle and mitigate the impact of single-use plastics in mass participation sports, e.g. marathons, there is a clear, ongoing concern about the continued use of 'on the go' plastics. In these sorts of events, there are few reasonable alternatives to discarding sports gels in plastic wrappers and handing out several bottles of water or sports drinks per competitor.

    In the biggest events, like the London Marathon, this amounts to (literally) tonnes of plastic waste. These plastics, which may not end up being recycled (for various reasons), are likely to be sent to landfill or energy from waste facilities. The former is wholly unsuitable for disposing of plastic - or any - waste due to its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions; the latter, while producing considerably less emissions than landfill, is not equipped to process plastics, which produce carbon dioxide when they're burned.

    Ultimately, alongside reducing plastic waste, we need to find ways to ensure it doesn't enter these waste streams. These are responsibilities that lie with plastic producers, event organisers and, of course, the competitors themselves. It's a huge issue and one that will become increasingly uncomfortable when mass participation events are able to resume.

    Ross Brown

  19. 'No more triathlons?'

    Future news from a warmer world

    Sport 2050

    Open water swimmingGetty Images

    This is the fourth time this year the swim has been cut from my Triathlon event. We haven't been able to stage it since 2046. With such poor water quality globally, I wonder whether we should switch from swimming to sculling or kayaking – with that, and the heat making cycle and running difficult, I can’t believe how much the sport has been changed so much by the environment.

    Caroline Eales, 33, Triathlete

  20. Algae blooms will threaten water events

    The view from 2021

    Russell Seymour
    Chief Executive, British Association for Sustainable Sport

    Fertiliser run off into water ways causes blooms of blue-green algae (not actually an alga, but more correctly known as cyanobacteria). These blooms can be toxic and most frequently happen in warmer water conditions which Climate Change could provide. Events are called off it blooms have occurred and water quality is poor.