The sponsorship of winter competitions by vitality hungry companies like British Airways and Volvo are “nailing the lid” on the sports activities’ “own coffin”, a British Olympic champion has mentioned.
Lizzy Yarnold, the UK’s most profitable Winter Olympian, spoke out following a report that advised firms together with from aviation, fossil fuels and automobile manufacturing are threatening the way forward for the very winter sports activities they sponsor.
“At their best, winter sports are a celebration of people enjoying some of the most awesome landscapes on Earth,” she mentioned.
“But the impact of climate pollution is now melting the snow and ice which these sports depend on,” she added.
“Having high carbon sponsors is like winter sport nailing the lid on its own coffin.”
The report condemned Vasaloppet, the world’s largest cross-country ski race, in Sweden, for accepting sponsorship from car-marker Volvo and oil agency Preem.
The two firms collectively account for the lack of 210 sq. kilometres of snow cowl – or the world of snow equal to 233 Vasaloppet ski races – based on the research, written by Badvertising, a marketing campaign to cease adverts from main polluters, and the New Weather Sweden thinktank.
It comes amid a tough season within the Northern Hemisphere for snow sports activities, with satellite tv for pc photos revealing a dearth of snow cowl in December and file temperatures wiping out pistes in some resorts.
The report estimates that between 1967 – 2015, snow cowl within the Northern Hemisphere fell 7% on common in March and April and by 47% in June.
Anna Turney, British alpine skier and Paralympian, mentioned: “I want to feel proud of my sport… and I want others to experience the joys and the challenges of snow sports.
“So it is time for the sports activities governing our bodies to broaden their views and discover the braveness to behave extra just like the athletes they supposedly assist.”
A spokesperson for Preem said the company is phasing out fossil fuels and aims to complete its sustainable transition before 2035.
They added: “From a local weather standpoint, we all know that Preem is part of the issue, but additionally part of the answer.
“Preem has taken a stand and has adopted the industry’s most ambitious climate goal in line with the Paris Agreement.”
Volvo declined to remark.
“With their clean, healthy outdoor image, winter sports are especially attractive to sponsorship from major polluters who want to ‘sportswash’ their image,” the report argued.
Its authors name for an finish to the sponsorship of snow sports activities by “major polluters”.
“If global sports are to take the issue of climate breakdown seriously, it must… review its partnerships with organisations whose practices go against their efforts to safeguard the future of our planet,” they write.
But they cease in need of telling sports activities stars to surrender flying around the globe for competitions or for ski resorts to cease utilizing vitality and water intensive snow machines.
However, they do ask these concerned within the trade to make sure that their very own operations – together with spectators’ journey – are zero carbon by 2030.
Andrew Simms from Badvertising advised Sky News many athletes view it as an “unfortunate necessity” they need to “travel long distances in order to practice their trade”.
But it’s “a very different thing to then also have your sport used as a billboard to promote high carbon products,” he added.
“Because it’s virtually impossible to lead a zero carbon lifestyle, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t support measures to move in the right direction.”
Earlier this month, skilled athletes wrote to their federation asking bosses to dramatically enhance winter sports activities’ sustainability, together with by rearranging schedules to minimise journey.
Sky News has contacted British Airways with a request to remark.
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