How is sport ecology research changing and how can it shape sport policy?

This commentary starts a discussion about how sport policy will be shaped by the expansion of sport ecology research.

We have seen massive growth in sport ecology research over the last decade from sport and general sustainability to sport and climate change. This is good, but it also requires some deep reflection on the state of the research and how it influences practice.

In this, the authors examine three specific questions: (1) What is the state of research pertaining to sport and environmental sustainability, and sport and climate change? (2) What approaches are beneficial for sport ecology and policy scholarship? (3) How might these perspectives inform and shape sport policy?

Gaps remain in sport ecology research between academia, industry practice, policy making, and the critical environmental problems of today. Increased collaboration might help address this gap along with consideration of new perspectives like systems thinking. For policy, careful consideration of whether it is binding and requires strict compliance along with what this looks like within the system should yield better outcomes.

Looking beyond your own office or organisation to see how you operate within the larger system will help sport and sport policy to better tackle the environmental challenges we currently face.

CITE: Dingle, G., Arbieu, U., Kenyon, J. A., Levine, J., Orr, M., Picariello, M., Ross, W. J., Trendafilova, S., & Ziakas, V. (2026). From environmental sustainability to climate change adaptation: The broadening of sport ecology research and implications for sport policy. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. 1-10. DOI: 10.1080/19406940.2026.2662218

#ClimateChange #SportPolicy #SystemsThinking #Sustainability #SportEcology