New report raises alarm about looming threat to sports industry: 'Disrupting competitions [and] diminishing spectator experiences'

The global sports industry is facing worsening extreme weather and rising temperatures that are reshaping seasons, venues, and sports scenes, according to a new report.

What's happening?

The World Economic Forum report, "Sports for People and Planet," warns of "the critical importance of public-private collaboration and cross-sector leadership to future-proof sport."

It outlines how rising global temperatures and other environmental shifts — along with societal trends toward physical inactivity — are disrupting sporting events worldwide. Organizers are being forced to adapt to variable conditions such as unsafe air quality and weather impacts that have led to altered spectator and athlete experiences, delayed matches, and canceled tournaments.

Earth.org reported that both the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and the 2026 Winter Games in Italy had to rely on artificial snow due to snowpack shortages. Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the main 2026 Winter Olympics sites, also hosted the 1956 Games — and warming trends there illustrate the rising temperatures that may make events such as these obsolete in the future.

According to the report, which was prepared before the Milan Cortina Games, rising temperatures are shortening winter sports seasons and putting outdoor summer competitions at risk, while flooding and storms can damage infrastructure. Heat stress for athletes and fans is becoming a growing concern.

Why are environmental threats to sports concerning?

The sports sector — with revenues valued in the trillions globally, according to the report — depends on stable weather patterns and reliable infrastructure. But as the report explained, environmental factors are "disrupting competitions, diminishing spectator experiences, limiting community well-being, and affecting the supply chains and operations that underpin the broader sports economy."

Sports are more than entertainment. They're economic engines that support jobs in tourism, hospitality, broadcasting, and more. When events are canceled or scaled back due to extreme weather, communities lose revenue. 

Worsening disasters also threaten lives and livelihoods. Heat waves can lead to dehydration and heat stroke among athletes and fans. Wildfire smoke harms air quality, which increases respiratory issues. Winter Olympic athletes have struggled with worsened training conditions — from dangerous slush and increased avalanche risks to having to move indoors altogether.

If rising temperatures continue unchecked, entire sports ecosystems could be reshaped. 

The report also described a "negative feedback loop" in which environmental risks make people less active, and less activity makes people more susceptible to environmental threats. It noted that sports events also contribute to environmental pressures due to the sector's resource-intensive nature.

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What's being done to protect the future of sports?

"This report sets out a new vision for sport that aligns financial performance with planetary boundaries and societal well-being," wrote the authors. "Delivering this shift will require bold

leadership, strengthened governance, and deeper collaboration across public, private, and civil society actors."

The report's authors called on governments, industry leaders, and sports stakeholders to get in the game and address environmental shifts. That includes "championing resource stewardship" by reducing environmental impacts, as well as funneling industry revenue into investments that "drive shared impact" and create change "from within the sector outwards."

The report underscored the importance of measures such as integrating green spaces into urban design to encourage healthy activity for communities. Individuals can also explore critical climate issues to learn how to make changes in their own neighborhoods to protect the future of human health, sports, and our planet.

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