Warming climate should be top priority, Olympians urge IOC presidential hopefuls

Canadian freestyle skier Philippe Marquis has always felt most at home in the mountains, his playground a postcard of snow-capped beauty.

But the two-time Olympian has watched the place he loves most change over his time in the sport, all because of a warming climate. Less than a decade ago, he would train into the summer months on Horstman Glacier in Whistler. No more. The glacier was closed to summer skiing and snowboarding last year due to a lack of snow.

Now a coach with Freestyle Skiing Canada's NextGen program in moguls, Marquis said athletes have been forced to rely on man-made snow, which is harder and icier than natural powder and can be tough on athletes' bodies. Schedules have been thrown in a blender by weather-related changes, and with that, Marquis said the cost to compete has increased.

"Seeing the changes around the world is something that I'm very scared of, and it's something that is really affecting me and the sport I dearly love," Marquis, who chairs the Canadian Olympic Committee's athletes' commission, said in an interview with CBC Sports.

He's one of more than 400 athletes across the world who have signed a letter to the candidates vying to become the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, urging them to make climate their number-one priority.

Two-time Olympian Philippe Marquis has watched warming temperatures affect freestyle skiing over his career. Now a coach, he says it's wreaked havoc with everything from training to cost and scheduling. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

IOC members from across the world will gather in Greece next week for the IOC Session, where they will elect a new president among seven candidates. The candidates made their case privately to members at a closed-door event in Switzerland in January, with only 15 minutes each to lay out their vision.

Some have emphasized the climate more than others in their public platforms: Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, described climate change as an "existential threat" to the Winter Olympics and has pitched rotating those Games between permanent venues as a more sustainable option.

Meanwhile, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, one of the front runners, references the challenge of climate change in his platform and vows to "embed ambitious environmental goals into every aspect of the Games, setting new standards for sustainability and green innovation in sport," but doesn't elaborate on those goals or how he'll achieve them. Coe has said climate change may eventually force the Summer Olympics to the winter calendar.

The winner will replace Thomas Bach, who has governed the largest sporting organization in the world since 2013, and will officially take over in June.

The new IOC president will replace the outgoing Thomas Bach, who has held the position since 2013. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

That person will be tasked with guiding the Olympic Games through a post-pandemic world, navigating challenges ranging from war and political instability to sport integrity and athlete safety.

They'll also be tasked with keeping the Games relevant among a younger generation that consumes media in a vastly different way than their parents and grandparents did. 

"[We need] a leader who understands and embodies the positive values of sport, stands up for integrity, good governance, and sustainability, financial and environmental, while advancing a safe and inclusive sporting environment worldwide," Canadian Olympic Committee president Tricia Smith, who is an IOC member eligible to cast a vote in the election, said in a written statement to CBC Sports.

'No longer a distant threat'

But no challenge may be bigger than a warming planet and the extreme weather that comes with it, the athletes who signed the letter to IOC candidates argue. Extreme heat makes it more difficult to plan the Summer Games, while fewer places are able to host the Winter Games, due to a lack of snow and melting ice.

Recent data showed only about half of 21 previous Winter Olympic host cities would have suitable conditions to host the Games by the 2050s, thanks to climate change.

"This is no longer a distant threat, but a current and growing harm to the sports we love and to the countries that make up our Olympic family," the letter says.

The athletes are calling for a meeting with the new president, and for that person to strengthen the IOC's commitments to "swiftly cut carbon emissions." They also call for the IOC to "set a standard" when it comes to "high-polluting sponsorships."

Canadian weightlifter Maude Charron is one of several athletes to win Olympic medals in Paris who have signed their name to a letter, urging the IOC to prioritize the climate. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The letter includes signatures from more than 125 Olympic flag bearers and more than 20 Canadians.

That includes athletes who won medals in Paris last year, such as paddler Katie Vincent, volleyball player Melissa Humana-Paredes, tennis player Gabriela Dabrowski and weightlifter Maude Charron, who was one of Canada's flag bearers at the Paris 2024 opening ceremonies.

As an athlete who competes outdoors on the water, Vincent has seen the impact of climate change up close. Preserving the waterways where she plies her trade is important to her.

About a month ago, Vincent went to a training camp just outside San Diego. Her group was forced to find somewhere else to train for a few days when an algae bloom closed the lake they were supposed to use. 

"They believe it was because of the chemicals that entered the soil because of the fighting of the [Los Angeles] fires that trickled through the soil and ended up infecting the lake," said Vincent, who became an Olympic champion in sprint canoe last summer in Paris.

The three-time Olympic medallist also experienced warming temperatures throughout her career, perhaps most notable during the extreme heat of the Olympics in Tokyo. It was some of the hottest weather athletes had managed, Vincent said.

Wildfire risk in focus for LA 2028

The IOC has vowed to cut its direct and indirect carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, aligning with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

In Paris, organizers opted to focus on temporary or existing infrastructure to avoid generating emissions that come with building new facilities. Organizers said the 2024 Summer Games reduced the carbon footprint of the games by more than 54 per cent compared to the average in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016.

Olympic champion Katie Vincent has experienced the impact of extreme heat, as an athlete who competes outdoors. (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

But Los Angeles is in the spotlight in 2028, and wildfire risk on everyone's mind after the toll of last fall's devastating blazes, which killed nearly 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures.

Vincent said it's a reminder of the responsibility to make sure they protect the environment, which is why she wants to make sure it's at the top of the IOC's priority list.

"It felt like the right time to add my name to that list and help continue this conversation with the IOC."