FIS makes meaningful progress but more action is needed
In 2023, 500 winter sports athletes urged the International Ski Federation (FIS) to adopt stronger climate action, supported by Protect Our Winters. FIS has since made progress, but POW continues to push for more concrete measures to meet emissions reduction goals.
In early 2023, 500 professional winter sports athletes, including Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR), and Daniel Yule (CH), united in an open letter, urging the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) to intensify its commitment to addressing the climate crisis. Backed by the global Protect Our Winters (POW) movement, the athletes called for a comprehensive sustainability strategy from FIS, including a detailed roadmap to achieve a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030. This plea emphasised the critical role FIS must play in combating climate change, which threatens the future of winter sports and the natural environments in which they thrive.
Six months later, following the open letter from athletes, 37651 people signed POW’s petition, urging FIS to respond to the athletes’ demands.
Today, POW recognises and celebrates the significant progress FIS has made in addressing the issues highlighted. Hiring a Sustainability Director, making preliminary improvements in the FIS calendar to reduce long-haul flights, presenting a detailed impact program, and conducting an emission estimation report are all major steps forward on the path to its obligations as a UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework signatory.
FIS’s newly released Emission Estimation Report was created based on 20 events in the 2023/24 season and scaled up to estimate the remainder of their 177 global events. However, there are over 300 World Cup events and a total of over 7000 competitions organised by the FIS worldwide. Emissions for these events are not reported. It is important for FIS to clarify how youth competitions and smaller events with fewer spectators contribute to its overall greenhouse gas footprint.
The FIS CO2 Calculator, a tool specifically designed for snow sports events should hopefully help FIS achieve its goal of collecting more relevant data.
As anticipated, the recently published FIS balance sheet reveals that travel-related emissions constitute the largest share of the organisation’s carbon footprint. To address this, the following measures to reduce travel emissions should be prioritised:
+ The race calendar must be optimised—concrete proposals from national organisations are already in place—to minimise travel distances between individual competitions.
+ The start of the season should be adjusted to align with climatic conditions, with a postponement where necessary, to ensure that preparatory training camps are as climate-friendly as possible.
+ Advertising for climate-damaging products must be avoided.
+ Collaboration between event organisers and public transport companies should be strengthened.
+ Investments in public transportation must be actively supported and lobbied for by all stakeholders.
FIS’ greatest superpower is to be a megaphone for climate by mobilising resources to support action. As a UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework signatory, FIS must leverage broadcasting and social media channels and train athletes to be effective climate ambassadors. For any organisation or business, the path to net zero is challenging. POW eagerly anticipates FIS delivering on its commitment to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. Now the plans must be followed by concrete actions for FIS to become the climate champion and role model its athletes and all the winter enthusiasts want it to be.
Learn more about this campaign and Protect Our Winters: https://protectourwinters.eu/tryharder-fis/
Main header image: Luca Jaenichen