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Sport is being reshaped by the climate crisis.
From cricket to skiing, football to surfing, greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet and rewriting the rulebook for global sport.
As the atmosphere heats and weather patterns destabilise, outdoor games are being cancelled, re-timed, or made unsafe for athletes and fans alike.
In Australia, where sport is cultural bedrock, the collision between climate and competition is no longer a forecast.
It's happening now.
Extreme Heat and the Death of the Summer Game
In January 2023, temperatures on the Australian Open tennis courts exceeded 50°C, forcing players to seek shade, call medical timeouts, and even retire from matches1.
Extreme heatwaves driven by rising greenhouse gas concentrations are now a common threat during summer tournaments.
High school and community-level sport is especially vulnerable, with dozens of events cancelled each year due to heat stress warnings or fire danger conditions2.
Experts warn that, without urgent emissions cuts, by 2040 most of Australia’s summer sports could be regularly unsafe to play outdoors3.
Air Quality and Smoke Disruptions
The Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20 made sport in parts of Australia physically dangerous.
Canberra’s air quality ranked among the worst in the world, with PM2.5 levels 20 times above safe thresholds, forcing cricket players off the field and prompting major match relocations4.
Wildfire smoke is a growing global threat to sport, especially in regions like California, the Mediterranean, and the Australian east coast.
Flooding, Venue Loss, and Infrastructure Collapse
Global warming increases the frequency and severity of extreme rainfall events.
And sport is paying the price.
Severe floods in New South Wales and Queensland in 2022 damaged hundreds of pitches, fields, and stadiums, some permanently5.
In many low-lying suburbs, football ovals and cricket grounds are unusable for months after floods, disrupting club finances and youth development programs.
In coastal zones, sea level rise is threatening surf clubs and waterside arenas from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast6.
Winter Sport Faces a Meltdown
Ski resorts globally are losing their snow seasons. Australia’s Snowy Mountains now see seasons starting later and ending earlier — with artificial snow often required just to hold events7.
By 2050, only a few of Australia’s current ski areas may remain viable for competitive sport.
Globally, iconic events like the Winter Olympics face uncertainty as suitable host locations dwindle.
Sporting Bodies Respond — But Slowly
In 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared climate change an existential threat to sport8.
Cricket Australia and the AFL are introducing heat policies and resilience planning, but few major sporting leagues are aligned with the 1.5°C Paris target in their carbon footprints or sponsorship choices9.
Many grassroots clubs lack the resources to adapt, despite being most exposed to climate extremes.
When the Game Can't Go On
The impacts of climate change on sport are not distant or hypothetical.
They are disrupting local games, global tournaments, and the health of everyone involved, from young athletes to elite professionals.
Unless greenhouse emissions are drastically reduced, the future of outdoor sport, especially in nations like Australia, is in serious jeopardy.
Footnotes
- 1. The Guardian. “Australian Open players suffer in extreme heat.” Link
- 2. ABC News. “Community sport cancelled due to heat.” Link
- 3. Climate Council. “Game, Set, Match: Sport and Climate Change.” Link
- 4. BBC. “Bushfire smoke halts Australian sport.” Link
- 5. The Sydney Morning Herald. “Sports grounds damaged in major floods.” Link
- 6. Surf Life Saving Australia. “Coastal climate risk to surf clubs.” Link
- 7. CSIRO. “Climate change in the Snowy Mountains.” Link
- 8. IOC. “Climate Change and Sport.” Link
- 9. Carbon Market Watch. “Sports clubs and emissions targets.” Link
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