“The French could lose up to two months of sports activity per year in a world at +4°C”, warned the NGO WWF two years ago. In a report, the association specified that “beyond the activities themselves, sports practice sites and equipment are also threatened”. No need to wait until the end of the century to see that these predictions are accurate.
Last March, a national canoe-kayak competition had to be relocated from Cher to Auvergne due to the drought. A situation that has become recurrent in recent years that will get worse over time. In twenty-four years of practice, Marlene Devillez, several times champion of France, Europe and vice-world champion in extreme kayaking, has seen the direct consequences of global warming in the rivers. “The Doubs wave, which worked at least ten times when I was young, now only works once or twice at most,” she explains. Either there is not enough water and the flow is not sufficient, or there is too much and it becomes dangerous to go sailing on it. »
Marlène Devillez, “climate refugee for sport”
Same observation in the Alps, where, ten years ago, it was possible to train from April to the end of August, explains the sportswoman. Today, with the melting of the glaciers, the water levels are very high until June, then the rivers run dry.
Sensitive to the protection of the environment, a dilemma imposed itself on her. “As an athlete, you want to perform,” she explains. Our objectives may seem futile from a societal and environmental point of view, but we are aiming for the title of world champion and for that, we have to train. I can’t stop kayaking but I can try to reduce the consequences of my practice on the rivers. All athletes should make sure to protect the natural environment they love and which allows them to have the performance they have. »
She then decided to get involved on her own scale. To raise awareness of these issues, she made a documentary. Then, she made choices to reduce her carbon footprint, to the point of becoming a “climate refugee for sport”, she says. With his companion, also a kayaking champion, they moved to Norway to benefit from better conditions to train as long as possible in the year and thus limit their journeys by having access to “a natural basin down from their home”. . They also prioritized competitions.
“Sport, as we know it, is no longer viable”
Marlène Devillez adds: “It’s really a shame to have to go elsewhere. But that’s the only solution we’ve found so far. Sport as we know it is no longer viable. Being competitive at a high level in a world like this, unsuited to being resilient or truly eco-responsible, is still difficult, but you have to think about it and it can be done. »
Didier Lehénaff, Eco-Games designer and former French coach, triathlon specialist, confirms this. “Is it consistent to produce millions of cubic meters of artificial snow for the sole purpose of maintaining a ski competition on the usual dates? Or to deplete the water resources for the lawn of a golf course or a football field? What is the point of organizing competitions on the other side of the world, moving hundreds of athletes, when the conditions are unsuitable? Sport is both victim and culprit* of climate change. In addition to the individual commitment of athletes, the entire sporting world must and can adapt to the challenges of global warming.
A complete “reorganization” of the practice of sport must be encouraged
According to the specialist, the solution lies in the complete “reorganization” of the way sport is practiced. “We have to think soberly with fewer events, whether in space and time, but also taking into consideration the problems of transporting athletes. We could, for example, think of an international calendar so that the athletes follow the stages of the World Cup without having to return home. Today, it is necessary to be effective in dealing with the conditions that have evolved. We don’t have time anymore. »
Because according to him, this environment only reacts “when it is up against the wall”. “When the conditions of the practices deteriorate, we compensate by going elsewhere or by transforming the support with snow or an artificial wave or covered spaces. Yet history has already shown us that sport is capable of reinventing itself. He thinks of the disciplines that have changed their rules in order to participate in the Olympic Games, such as rugby sevens or modern pentathlon.
Thus, Didier Lehénaff considers that the national and international federations can completely take up the subject: “They must take the necessary decisions concerning the calendars, the sites of practices and modify their regulations sufficiently. Without this position, he suggests that the government “decide” to “preserve our tomorrows”. The Ministry of Sports has rightly announced the implementation of “a plan for adapting sports practice to climate change”, from October 2023.