Interrogating the Impact of Climate Change on Multiple Outdoor Sports Activities: A Critical Review

Over the years, the multiple outdoor sport activities have relied on the natural environment for critical resources such as energy, water, and the field of play. The relationship between outdoor sports activities and the environment has been primarily examined to understand how outdoor sports activities impact on the natural environment. However, the actual and potential deleterious effects of climate change on sports are under-researched. Yet, climate change impacts individuals’ sporting choices, since changing temperatures and precipitation patterns affect the participation of outdoor sports activities. In this paper, we examined the nexus between climate change and multiple outdoor sports on individuals’ health outcomes. After evaluating more than 150 publications, the researchers retained 45 articles and analyzed them to answer the research questions: (1) what evidence is available regarding the impacts of climate change on the performance of multiple outdoor sports activities. The research question was built around three themes; (1) nexus between climate change and outdoor sports activities; (2) heat effects on athlete performance; and (3) Mitigation and adaptive measures taken to prevent the impact of climate change on athletes involved in multiple outdoor sports. This review reveals that there is evidence of climate change impacts on multiple sports activities. The paper concludes that the changing heat waves and precipitation patterns affect individual participations in outdoor sports activities, which has direct ramifications for health and wellbeing of individuals participating in sporting activities. It is therefore, recommended that policy makers should be involved in engaging athletes, local leaders and other stakeholders in combating the impacts of climate change on outdoor sports.