How university sport is adapting to a warming climate

This study examines how extreme heat affects varsity sport athletes and facilities, and explores the adaptation strategies currently used (or potentially available) to help university sport programs respond to climate-related heat risks. Extreme heat is becoming a growing climate hazard that threatens athlete health, sport infrastructure, and event operations, yet climate adaptation remains underdeveloped in sport management.

The authors used primary data from athletes, coaches, and sport managers to investigate how a university athletics department perceives and responds to heat risks in practice.

The researchers conducted a two-phase Delphi study with 30 participants from a Canadian university athletics department, including athletes, coaches, and managers involved in varsity outdoor sports, and examined perceptions of heat impacts on athletes and facilities, as well as current and potential adaptation strategies.

Participants reported that extreme heat was already affecting varsity sport through dehydration, heat exhaustion, muscle cramping, reduced enjoyment, and concerns about the safety of synthetic turf surfaces. Existing responses mainly involved incremental adaptations such as increased hydration, more rest breaks, cooling strategies, scheduling changes, and heat management policies, rather than long-term transformative adaptation.

Sport managers should integrate climate adaptation into long-term strategic planning by improving heat policies, education, scheduling flexibility, facility design, and real-time monitoring of heat risks.

CITE: Mallen, C., Dingle, G., & McRoberts, S. (2023). Climate impacts in sport: extreme heat as a climate hazard and adaptation options. Managing Sport and Leisure, 30(2), 207-224. DOI: 10.1080/23750472.2023.2166574