Climate Change and the Olympic Movement

Since the human made climate change has been accelerating, the world of sport and especially the Olympic Movement as an important societal player are affected as well. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the sporting world in its core and impacted sport organisations finance, management, and governance. However, it is likely that the consequences of a changing climate are even worse for the Olympic Movement especially on a societal, and structural dimensions. This research aims to provide data concerning the climatic changes’ impact on the Olympic Movement. Sporting actors from various levels, sports and countries will be interviewed to illustrate their awareness, knowledge, preventive measures and challenges they are facing currently and most likely in the future. The projects’ international approach is supported by Prof. Nelson Schneider Todt (Grupo de Pesquisa em Estudos Olimpicos Pontificia Universidade Catolico do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), Prof. Ian Culpan (University of Canterbury, New Zealand), and Prof. Cora Burnett as well as Prof. Charl J. Roux (Olympic Studies Centre of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa). The project forms the central part of Tim Sperber’s doctoral thesis during the PhD programme at the German Sport University Cologne. The research is supervised by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Stephan Wassong, member of the IOC Education Commission, Head of the Institute for Sport History and the Olympic Studies Centre Cologne.