Athletes Take Strong Position on Environment

TOKYO, Japan, November 14, 2003 (ENS) - Shaun White, ranked the world's number 1 snowboarder, worries, "If global warming turns the mountains to summer, where am I supposed to snowboard?" Japanese surfer Ryu Nakamura says, "Global warming is changing the face of the sea. I just want to ride a natural wave."

The warming climate, air pollution, and chemicals in food trouble many athletes, finds a sport and environment survey conducted by the Global Sports Alliance, an international organization supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Shaun White wonders if the snow he boards will melt away. (Photo credit unknown)

The survey polled some 4,000 people aged mainly between 10 and 29 years old, for whom sports is a passionate hobby. Some professional players, coaches, sports manufacturers, operators of sports facilities and sports associations also responded to the poll.

While most respondents came from Japan, there were also responses from Europe, North America and Africa. Roughly a third of respondents said they are being forced to change the way they conduct their sporting activities due to environmental changes.

Some athletes are using more protective sunblock and wearing longsleeved shirts to avoid the Sun's rays that now penetrate a thinning ozone layer. Some respondents claimed they have given up activities such as golf to stay out of the sun.

Concerns about the health impacts of chemicals in food are sending athletes to the natural food stores. A significant number of those polled said they were turning to "natural, organic, foods whenever possible." To avoid smog, many are deserting inner city sports grounds for cleaner country fields.

Others mentioned the declining quality of snow and a shortening of the ski season, which some scientists are linking with global warming.

Surfers are concerned about taking too much ultraviolet with their waves (Photo credit unknown)

Tatsuo Okada, executive director of the Global Sports Alliance, said, "By natural, the respondents are referring to sites where there are more trees, grasses and other natural features."

"It is not just about aesthetics," Okada said. "Sports men and women are becoming increasingly aware of the heat sink effect, where manmade materials such as concrete and Tarmac tend to absorb heat which can make playing games and sporting activities on hot sunny days more uncomfortable and less pleasurable."

The Global Sports Alliance (GSA) says its mission is to unite a billion sports enthusiasts worldwide in the creation of a new kind of high value, low impact society that does not mass produce, mass consume and mass dispose of the Earth's precious resources.

Athletes who responded to the GSA survey said they were willing to act in a more environmentally friendly way to protect their sporting environment. They indicated willingness to use public transport, rather than driving, and to take rubbish home after attending an event.

Most of those questioned, 69 percent, said they want their equipment to be more durable and are prepared to pay more for this.

Okada said, "What they are saying is that equipment which lasts longer is inherently more environmentally friendly. It makes sense. Manufacturing equipment uses natural resources and energy, so the longer the ball, the boot or the skis lasts, the less materials are used in making new ones. It also would lead to less waste."

Sports equipment could be made out of biodegradable materials, respondents said, or could be made from materials that can easily be separated and recycled when the equipment has reached the end of its useful life.

Young ball team takes the field in Manhattan Beach, California (Photo courtesy City of Manhattan Beach)

"Smog, the result of traffic and other fumes, can make it harder to breathe, which is especially damaging for people like asthmatics," said Toepfer. "Chemicals used in and around play areas may also carry risks. Contaminated coasts and freshwaters may cause ill health for sports people such as surfers and water sports enthusiasts."

At the forum today "Vital Messages," a book of environmental photographs from UNEP's Focus On Your World photo competition with messages from by some of the world's top athletes, was unveiled before going on sale in Japan.

It features images and quotes from tennis star Monica Seles, Japanese footballer Hidetoshi Nakata, and New York Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui.

G-ForSE is part of a growing series of activities and events being organized by or in collaboration with UNEP in the context of a sport and the environment strategy adopted by the UNEP Governing Council in February 2003.

Next month in the Italian city of Torino, which will host the 2006 Winter Olympics, UNEP will co-sponsor the World Conference on Sport and the Environment organized by the International Olympic Committee. Delegates will consider the role of top athletes as ambassadors for the environment, and strategies for organizing and delivering environmentally friendly sports events.