Sawt Falasteen - Hundreds of Olympians call on IOC candidates to make climate top priority

"To the incoming President, we ask that over the coming years and the course of your presidency one issue be above all others: the care of our planet," Olympic athletes including British sailing great Ben Ainslie, Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala and Australian swimmer Emma McKeon said in a statement.

"Rising temperatures and extreme weather are already disrupting competition schedules, putting iconic venues at risk and affecting the health of athletes and fans," the statement read.

"Extreme heat is raising real concerns about whether Summer Games can be held safely in future years," it continued, pointing to the devastating wildfires this year in 2028 Games host city Los Angeles.

As for the Winter Olympics in Italy in 2026 and France in 2030 they "are becoming harder to organise with reliable snow and ice conditions diminishing annually", the athletes insisted.

"This is no longer a distant threat, but a current and growing harm to the sports we love and to the countries that make up our Olympic family."

The athletes called on the seven candidates vying to succeed Thomas Bach to commit to "strengthen commitments to swiftly cut carbon emissions", "champion sustainable practices in host cities" and "set a standard regarding sponsorships of highly polluting companies".

The partnership with Coca-Cola, a long-time sponsor of the IOC and a major plastic polluter, is regularly the subject of criticism.

Last summer, the NGO France Nature Environment filed a complaint accusing the US soft drinks giant of deceiving consumers with promises of "zero waste" during the Paris Olympics despite the use of plastic bottles.

The letter signatories also requested to meet the new president of the IOC who will be elected on Thursday to "discuss these commitments".

One of the candidates in the election, the Anglo-Swede Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski Federation (FIS), called the letter a "welcome rallying cry".

"I entirely agree that inaction is not an option," he said. "We must be bold on climate action – and as President of IOC, I would lead from the front."

N.Shalabi--SF-PST