How Olympic Athletes Are Advocating for Climate Action
With the Winter Olympics in full swing, it’s an interesting time to think about how climate change might be impacting the future of winter sports. When the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics were in our backyards, we saw the need to truck in dozens of loads of snow to build up the venues as warm weather caused snow to melt. This year at the Milano Cortina games, we’ve been hearing the complaints of warm weather heating up the ice tracks for luge and skeleton.
With such weather dependent sports and the clear impacts changing climate is having on them, many Winter Olympic athletes are using their platforms to join the climate conversation, raise awareness and push for policy change. During the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic games seems like the perfect time to highlight these athletes and the work they are doing off the snow and ice.
How Climate Change in Effecting Winter Sports
It isn’t just simply the lack of snow and the need to truck in loads of it to venues. Athletes are seeing a shift in the winter months and lack of consistent snow levels. There is a dependance on artificial snow, which changes the event conditions.
The good news is that winter athletes recognize the need to protect our planet and slow the changing conditions. Organizations like Protect Our Winters (POW) are uniting athletes for this purpose.
“Protect Our Winters Canada is a passionate community of outdoor enthusiasts, professional athletes, and industry leaders united to advocate for policy solutions to climate change. We believe our love of adventure in nature demands our participation in the fight to save and protect it.” – Protect Our Winters, About page
Winter Olympic Athletes Advocating for Climate Change
Here’s how some of the world’s most recognizable winter athletes are championing climate action.
Jessie Diggins — Cross-Country Skiing
Jessie Diggins, Olympic gold medalist and most decorated US cross-country skier, is using her medals to get in doors and start climate conversations. A member of the climate advocacy organization Protect Our Winters (POW), Diggins uses her platform to educate others about climate impacts and lobby policymakers in Washington, D.C.
Jesse has firsthand experiences from racing in low-snow conditions and realized that speaking out and taking action helped to reduce her climate anxiety.
Philippe Marquis — Moguls
Philippe Marquis is a two-time Olympian in moguls. Now retired and a part of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) Athlete’s Commission, he is focused on sustainability and climate change conversations. Philippe is a part of a sub-committee that meets with COC staff to ensure alignment with the UN Sport for Climate Action framework. Phillipe also helps promote sustainability and climate action through events like Green Sports Day.
Marion Thénault — Freestyle Skier
Marion Thénault, bronze medalist at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, has seen climate change impact her events in extreme ways. She has experienced World Cup events where the only snow on the mountain was artificial–a frightening sign of the future.
Marion has taken a practical and personal journey after seeing the impacts of climate change and has gone on to pursue a climate neutral status for her 2026 Olympics.
This journey started from competing in the mountains and seeing the impacts of climate change on my sport. It started with a self-reflection on the impact and dependency of winter sports on climate. This reflection turned into action when I was able to pitch the idea of becoming a carbon-neutral athlete to WSP and they said yes!
– Marion, on her carbon neutral journey (WSP)
Julian Schütter – Downhill Skier
Julian Schütter is an Austrian World Cup athlete who deserves a mention as he was the one who penned a letter to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) signed by over 200 professionals, including numerous Olympic athletes. The letter calls the current environmental policies insufficient and states “This is our most important race, let’s win it together.”
Ukaleq Astri Slettemark – Biathlon
Ukaleq Slettemark was one of the more than 21,000 signatories on the “Ski Fossil Free” petition presented to the International Olympic Committee prior to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, but her advocacy does not stop there. She grew up with sustainability at the forefront of conversations and uses her social media and daily interactions to share about climate change–like in the post below, which truly speaks to me! Ukaleq attends events like Global Sustainable Sport as a speaker and is the International Biathlon Union (IBU)’s Sustainability Ambassador, showing she is truly committed to these climate conversations.
Cheering on our athletes
We’ve been having a blast cheering on our athletes as they aim for the podium. It’s inspiring to watch these athletes at the peak of their sports. It’s even more inspiring to know that they are using their world stage for the good of our planet.
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