Earlier this week, it was reported that British U20 Cross Country runner, Innes FitzGerald, asked British Athletics to withdraw her from consideration for the world championships in Australia over environmental concerns.
FitzGerald was concerned over the environmental damage that would arise from the flight to the other side of the world.
Her letter was published in Athletics Weekly and stated:
“I was just nine when the Cop21 Paris climate agreement was signed. Now, eight years on, and global emissions have been steadily increasing, sending us on a path to climate catastrophe.”
FitzGerald’s stance is a brave one and her decision to stand for her values is respectable.
Previously, she qualified for the European Cross Country Championships in Turn, Italy. Rather than fly, she and her family opted for a combination of travelling by coach, train and folding bike to arrive to the race. After that travel, she finished 4th in the U20 race at the age of 16.
Here in the triathlon world, FitzGerald’s actions spark a question. Will any triathlete prioritise their environmentalism over a potential race at any point in the near future?
It will be a delicate balance.
For starter’s, triathletes are professional athletes and races are their primary means of earning a living. Few people can simply decide to not go to their job as the emissions involved concern them.
Of course, that analogy is not entirely apt. Most people don’t fly across oceans for their employment on as regular a basis as international triathletes.
A few weeks ago, we ran an article questioning if the World Triathlon schedule could be optimised. Until athletes behave like robots and allow us to control their movement, solving the travel conundrum with a constraint solver will likely remain out of reach. Nevertheless, solving the intercontinental lifestyle of triathlon is a useful question to ask.
In the absence of meaningful change to the schedule, would an athlete take matters into their own hands?
Ironically, this is one area where the crowded race schedule could play to the advantage of athletes. There are now more than enough WTCS and World Cup races to score points at, either towards the final WTCS rankings or Olympic qualification. This could enable athletes to opt in and out of races.
While it may be better for the sport to see the best athletes race as often as possible, it may be better for the environment if some skipped a race on the basis of travel.
Environmental concerns are growing, particularly among young people. As a result, there could be instances in the future in which FtizGerald’s actions are copied in the triathlon community.
