Jonas Schneider from Protect Our Winters shares insights from the Winter Olympics – and outlines advocacy strategies for other events ahead.

When the world tunes into a major sporting event, it isn’t just watching competition – it’s watching culture in motion. Global tournaments shape narratives, elevate values and influence billions. That visibility carries responsibility.

Climate risk and winter sport events

Recent Winter Games underscored what’s at stake. Research from scientists affiliated with Protect Our Winters shows that every Winter Olympic host city has warmed since 1950. By mid-century, nearly half of past host locations may no longer be viable options. For the Paralympics, staged later in the season, the outlook is even more precarious.

For winter sports, climate change is no longer abstract – it is operational.

But large-scale sporting events are more than climate risk case studies. They are uniquely powerful platforms for advocacy.

Winter sports advocacy at major events

With global sponsors, political attention and mass audiences, events like the Winter Games sit at the intersection of sport, business and policy. That position gives organizers and governing bodies leverage. They can require emissions transparency, prioritize low-carbon infrastructure and reconsider partnerships that undermine climate credibility.

Athletes are increasingly using that platform.

POW Norway freeride skier Nikolai Schirmer launched a petition called Ski Fossil Free. Schirmer submitted more than 21,000 signatures to the IOC to call for more scrutiny of fossil fuel sponsorship in winter sport.

POW Sweden cross-country skier Björn Sandström helped spearhead the For Future Games open letter, signed by 88 Olympians and 53 aspiring athletes, urging the IOC to align the Games with climate science.

Engaging governing bodies and industry

These actions are part of a broader strategy. Across Europe, Protect Our Winters continues engaging the IOC, National Olympic Committees, organizing bodies and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) on emissions reporting, fossil fuel sponsorship and long-term legacy planning – not as one-off interventions, but as sustained accountability efforts.

Beyond the Games, advocacy is also moving upstream. Convenings such as the Ski Climate Summit and Brand Advocacy Day aim to bring outdoor companies and policymakers together around science-based demands. When industry, athletes and civil society align their messaging, the political space for action can shift.

The future of winter sports advocacy

The challenge facing winter sport is clear: declining snow reliability, accelerating glacier loss and shorter seasons.

Yet sport’s cultural influence remains significant. If global events help define what excellence looks like, they can also redefine what leadership requires – not only on the podium, but in policy.

The stakes are clear and so is the path forward. Members of the outdoor community can vote for leaders who are acting on climate change. When traveling, low-carbon options such as trains can replace flights where possible. Consumers can also choose brands that support science-based climate action.

Another step is joining a Protect Our Winters chapter. The organization describes its network as a community of athletes, brands, creatives, scientists and outdoor enthusiasts working to influence political decision-making.

The seasons are shortening. But the window for action remains open.

Lead photo: Protect Our Winters