3. Political instability, wars, pandemics, etc

The planet is heating up and risk factors include megafires, harsher heatwaves and more intense rain. As a result, many outdoor sports are becoming increasingly challenging. For instance, disruptions on the European continent due to climate conditions could be seen through the course of an entire year; wetter autumns and winters result in muddy conditions and drier summers negatively impact the quality of surfaces.

Research in the United Kingdom has found that extreme weather conditions are posing risks to athletes and the public, and are having serious financial repercussions8. For example, the 2015/16 sports season in the UK saw the cancellation of 25 matches in total.

Given the above circumstances, an effective and up-todate risk assessment is necessary for sports managers to anticipate and, wherever possible, mitigate the risks of natural disasters.

3. Political instability, wars, pandemics, etc.

Political instability and wars create serious risks to sporting events, athletes and spectators. A good risk analysis should be made when deciding to send athletes to participate in sports competitions in fragile regions and individual unstable countries. Account should be taken of the risk of athletes and spectators falling victim to hostilities or to a hostage crisis. On the other hand, such situations can make it impossible for people to leave a country where hostilities are taking place due to flight delays and port blockades.

The risk posed by pandemics can be seen in the example of COVID-19. The pandemic has caused major disruptions to the planning and conduct of sporting competitions. This has affected both athletes and organizers. For example, it is becoming increasingly difficult to gather many people in one place without endangering the health of the public. On the other hand, events like the Olympic games have enormous historical, social and cultural value and their cancellation could have consequences for the host country, not only in terms of financial losses but also in diplomatic relations with other countries etc.

Holding sporting events with a mass gathering of people can be a factor in the spread of the disease, thus compromising the measures of the health authorities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “sports events can attract a particularly high attendance of domestic and international spectators who come together at stadiums, pitches and fan zones but also before and after the events themselves. These might occur at fan activities, public squares, airports,

8 https://sustainabilityreport.com/2020/05/21/sport-climate-change-and-acknowledging-vulnerability/