The sponsorship of winter competitions by energy hungry firms like British Airways and Volvo are “nailing the lid” on the sports’ “own coffin”, a British Olympic champion has said.
Lizzy Yarnold, the UK’s most successful Winter Olympian, spoke out following a report that suggested companies including from aviation, fossil fuels and car manufacturing are threatening the future of the very winter sports they sponsor.
“At their best, winter sports are a celebration of people enjoying some of the most awesome landscapes on Earth,” she said.
“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 biggest cross-country ski race, in Sweden, for accepting sponsorship from car-marker Volvo and oil firm Preem.
The two companies together account for the loss of 210 square kilometres of snow cover – or the area of snow equivalent to 233 Vasaloppet ski races – according to the study, written by Badvertising, a campaign to stop adverts from major polluters, and the New Weather Sweden thinktank.
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It comes amid a difficult season in the Northern Hemisphere for snow sports, with satellite images revealing a dearth of snow cover in December and record temperatures wiping out pistes in some resorts.
The report estimates that between 1967 – 2015, snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere fell 7% on average in March and April and by 47% in June.
Anna Turney, British alpine skier and Paralympian, said: “I want to feel proud of my sport… and I want others to experience the joys and the challenges of snow sports.
“So it’s time for the sports governing bodies to broaden their perspectives and find the courage to behave more like the athletes they supposedly support.”
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 climate point of view, we know that Preem is a part of the problem, but also a part of the solution.
“Preem has taken a stand and has adopted the industry’s most ambitious climate goal in line with the Paris Agreement.”
Volvo declined to comment.
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“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 call for an end to the sponsorship of snow sports 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 stop short of telling sports stars to give up flying around the world for competitions or for ski resorts to stop using energy and water intensive snow machines.
However, they do ask those involved in the industry to ensure that their own operations – including spectators’ travel – are zero carbon by 2030.
Andrew Simms from Badvertising told Sky News many athletes view it as an “unfortunate necessity” they have to “travel long distances in order to practice their trade”.
But it is “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, professional athletes wrote to their federation asking bosses to dramatically improve winter sports’ sustainability, including by rearranging schedules to minimise travel.
Sky News has contacted British Airways with a request to comment.
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