Climate change is outpacing athletes’ ability to adapt, the sports world must take action – researcher

In Germany, the vast majority of sports halls are not air-conditioned. In addition, sports halls often suffer from poor air circulation, and indoor athletes cannot seek out airy shady areas or cooler areas, as they do outside, because the microclimatic conditions are often almost identical throughout the hall.

In Germany, for example, final matches in the women’s table tennis Bundesliga [the national league] were suspended when indoor temperatures reached 39°C due to the risk of athletes collapsing – including underage players.

What about the positive effects of climate change on traditional summer sports? Are there?

The generally milder weather contributes to the sport-specific benefits of climate change, with many competitive athletes benefiting from the outdoor season starting earlier and ending later. Furthermore, explosive sports (such as athletics sprint events) benefit from temperatures above 25°C due to the improved muscle contraction properties, provided that force production only needs to be maintained for a short period of time or over a few repetitions. Last but not least, higher UV exposure helps prevent depressive symptoms (e.g. ‘winter depression’), vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis.

We determine the rules for the sport and decide on scheduling, cool-down breaks and stadium design. How climate-adaptive is the sports world, and are there risks to which we find it more difficult to adapt?

Compared to the workplace and other high-risk environments, such as care homes for the elderly, the sports sector is significantly slower in taking preventive measures. As part of our research, we adapted the ‘TOP’ principle – long established and validated in the field of occupational health and safety – to the sports sector. This model is now used throughout Germany. The acronym includes the following TOP measures:

• Technical and structural measures: Exposure to heat and UV at sports facilities can be reduced by technical and structural measures. So-called ‘cool’ and open-air halls are becoming increasingly popular. Other examples of technical and structural measures are misting systems (‘mist showers’) at running events or in coaching zones. Natural (e.g. trees) and artificial sun protection (such as sun sails) simultaneously provide protection against heat and UV radiation. Lightning shelters, such as those already widely used in the golf world, protect against the risk of injury from lightning strikes.
• Organizational measures: Climate-related health risks can also be addressed through the intelligent organization of training and competition schedules. Daily or seasonal heat, as well as exposure to UV, pollen and ozone, can be mitigated by rescheduling training and competition times. Examples of running include the increasingly popular ‘night runs’.
  In many sports, the official rules currently prohibit additional breaks or sufficient UV protection through clothing. Sensitive rule changes, such as those recently introduced in football, beach volleyball or cycling, can allow shorter match durations, more frequent changes of players, extra drinking and cooling breaks or more protective sports clothing.
• Personal measures: In addition, clubs must support the preventive actions taken by individual athletes, which are always carried out in parallel. Such individual measures include the provision of pre-, during- and post-cooling methods (cooling vests, ice cubes, spray bottles and cooling kits) and the installation of water dispensers at training locations. UV-related risks can be limited by ensuring that UV-certified competition and training clothing is purchased.

You looked at the intersection of climate and sport from a German context, but I assume that risk and action can also be applied to an international context – is that correct?