The New Rules of the Game

From the Olympics to local marathons, rising heat and extreme weather are forcing athletes, organizers, and fans to rethink what it means to play.

The stadiums may look the same, but the conditions are shifting fast. The climate crisis is rewriting the future of competition, one event at a time.

Too Hot to Play

In late August 2024, tennis players at the U.S. Open battled on courts where surface temperatures hit over 110°F. Matches paused as players struggled with heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Soccer players in Qatar’s 2022 World Cup competed under air-conditioned stadiums, an engineering feat, but also a warning about the planet outside.

Extreme heat affects more than performance; it can be deadly. In outdoor events like marathons or cycling races, core body temperatures can rise to fatal levels within minutes.

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Fields, Ice, and Floods

The effects go beyond heat. Climate change is warping the very environments where sports take place.

• Golf courses are drying up as droughts push water restrictions.
• Baseball seasons are facing more rainouts from extreme storms.
• Ski resorts are closing early as snow seasons shorten, with some Alpine areas losing 40% of snow cover since the 1980s.
• Ice hockey, once central to northern culture, is losing outdoor rinks as natural ice becomes unreliable.

For communities that built their identities around these sports, climate change is just as much a personal threat as an abstract one. 

The Economic Fallout

The global sports industry is worth over $400 billion, but it’s increasingly vulnerable to disruption.

Cancellations, rescheduling, and heat-related medical costs are climbing. Insurance premiums for stadiums and outdoor events are rising.

The 2021 Tokyo Olympics, postponed by COVID-19, also became one of the hottest Games in history, a preview of what’s to come. By mid-century, some regions may be too hot to host summer competitions safely at all.

The Athlete’s Voice

A growing number of athletes are speaking out.

Tennis star Daniil Medvedev famously said during a sweltering match, “One player is going to die, and they’ll see.” Runners like Eliud Kipchoge and surfers like Kelly Slater have joined campaigns for sustainability and ocean protection.

Sports figures are realizing they hold a platform, and that silence is no longer an option.

What Fans Can Do

Fans, too, are part of the equation. They can:

• Support teams and leagues committed to sustainability.
• Reduce travel emissions by using public transport to games.
• Demand transparency on event footprints.
• Celebrate athletes who advocate for environmental change.

Sport reflects society, and it can help lead it.

The Bottom Line

Every game postponed, every rink melted, every marathon shortened tells the same story: the climate crisis doesn’t stop at the stadium gates.

But sports have always been about resilience. And in the fight for a livable planet, that spirit might be our greatest advantage.

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