One of the most pressing issues to take hold over humanity in recent times is the concern over climate change. Several personalities from various fields have voiced their opinion on this serious matter, and the sports community is not exempt from it. Alpine Skier and a 2X Olympic gold medal winner Mikaela Shiffrin is the latest to raise this issue in an open letter to FIS.

Shiffrin, along with numerous other skiers, has called for the International Ski and Snowboard Federation to take note of how their sport is affecting the surrounding environment and what they must do to take the cause forward rather than be a reason for it. Here’s what she said.

Mikaela Shiffrin details the importance of imminent action required to fight this change

In an exclusive interview with Eurosport, Shiffrin spoke to Tina Maze and said, “The public opinion about skiing is shifting towards unjustifiability. That’s why we as a winter sports community have to take the lead in the fight against climate change and make our sports climate neutral as soon as possible”. This could in turn affect the existence of the sport itself, as many snow-clad slopes are turning green due to rising temperatures.

Shiffrin continued, “To do so we need progressive organizational action. This is our most important race, let’s win it together. Everybody has some impact on the environment, but the whole system is destroying our planet”. She called for immediate action from all governing bodies (FIS particularly) to act upon this issue before it’s too late. Shiffrin also mentioned that skiers have had murmurs over starting this discussion for some time now to get the ball rolling.

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In the same vein, she also said that it wasn’t her, but other fellow skiers (who remained nameless) who initiated the idea of the open letter. Shiffrin also highlighted the importance of being factually accurate by saying, “And as athletes, we’re scared to have the conversation because we’re not the scientists and we don’t have the facts, and I don’t have all the facts about it”.

“Simply the Best Ever”: Skiing World Goes Gaga as Mikaela Shiffrin Achieves Historic Feat Despite Settling for Silver at World Championships

Although she couldn’t win a medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics, her record has been nothing short of phenomenal. After already bagging gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics in Sochi and Pyeongchang respectively, Shiffrin broke yet another record last month.

En route to breaking records, Shiffrin is worried about the future of skiing

In January 2023, Mikaela Shiffrin won her 83rd World Cup race in Kronplatz, Italy. In doing so, she overtook Lindsey Vonn as the most World Cup wins by any female alpine skier. Now at Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, Shiffrin is already breathing over the all-time record by Jan Ingemar Stenmark for most World Cup wins by any skier – 86.

Winter sports, not unlike other sports, have been under scrutiny by climate activists for some time for causing irreparable damage to the environment. The notion of people utilizing the pristine nature for recreational benefits does not bode well with them. However, with Shiffrin’s and other skiers’ advocacy for better care, the narrative might change, and possibly both can be protected.

Watch This Story: Lindsey Vonn Praises 2X Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin