The peer-learning event organized by Germany brought together experts from 15 EU countries to discuss the effects of climate change on sports and the necessary adaptation measures. The changes are already evident in many ways within European sports, and sports play an important role in promoting both climate action and adaptation.

Climate change is increasing challenges and uncertainty

The effects of climate change on sports are multifaceted and range from daily training to international competitions. Marie Larneby and Daniel Svensson from Malmö University presented the scientific research and debate surrounding the topic.

The main challenges are:

• Extreme weather conditions—such as heat waves, torrential rain, and storms—make it difficult to organize events and increase safety risks.
• Deteriorating conditions: for example, reduced snow reliability and problems with track conditions pose challenges for sports activities.
• Infrastructure challenges: Today’s sports facilities are not designed to cope with a changing climate.
• Health effects: Heat, air quality, and new risk factors affect the well-being of exercisers.

In addition, climate change is increasing overall instability and uncertainty, which makes long-term planning more difficult. The sports world is accustomed to constantly changing conditions, but according to researchers, this may no longer be feasible in a changing climate and with increasingly stringent sustainability requirements.

From summer sports to winter sports – climate change is transforming sports

At the European level, many changes are already underway and clearly noticeable, while others are still in the works.

In many countries, the heat has already significantly reduced opportunities for outdoor activities. Competition and training seasons are changing—for example, the seasons for winter sports are becoming shorter, while the season for certain summer sports is becoming longer or starting later. Canoeing, for example, is becoming a more winter-oriented sport in Germany.

The conditions for various sports are changing as weather patterns become more variable than in the past. The melting of glaciers is worsening conditions for winter sports in the long term.

The need for adaptation measures is growing

Across Europe, active efforts are already underway to develop plans and solutions to help the sports sector adapt to climate change. In Germany, the “Climate Twins” concept has been used, which is based on statistics and modeling of comparable cities and makes it possible to predict future climate conditions and the need for changes to sports facilities.

With regard to environmental conditions, examples of adaptation measures include increasing the amount of shade-providing vegetation adjacent to the fields, solutions for managing and recycling rainwater and wastewater, and the development of materials—for example, to reduce heat accumulation in artificial turf.

To improve athletes’ well-being and safety, practices and competitions are increasingly being held during the cooler evening hours. In tennis, players are protected from extreme heat through tournament heat protocols, which include requiring cooling breaks or suspending matches when established heat stress thresholds are exceeded.

France has conducted the most comprehensive analysis of adaptation measures in the sports sector; there, at the initiative of President Macron, a national plan has been developed to help the sports sector adapt to climate change.

The role of sports in adaptation

It is essential that various stakeholders consider climate action in sports and adaptation to a changing climate in the context of their own operations. However, efforts by individual stakeholders are not enough; structural changes and financing mechanisms that support sustainable infrastructure are required. Collaboration between the public sector and stakeholders in sports is crucial.

Changes to sports infrastructure do not happen overnight. Therefore, the adaptation process must begin well in advance. At the national level, climate change forecast data has already been compiled, including in the statistics and forecast overview produced by the National Sports Council. Based on this, it would be beneficial to continue this work, perhaps toward a national adaptation plan in Finland as well?

Karoliina Ketola, a sustainability expert at the Olympic Committee, represented Finland at the “Peer Learning Activity: Climate Change Adaptation in Sport” meeting in Berlin on March 17–18, 2026.