As sport lovers grapple with finding alternative ways to keep their form in response to the restrictions caused by COVID-19, the hurricane season poses another threat to traditional sport. Sport for some is a source of income. For many, it is a way to enjoy a pastime alone or with friends. Also, like sport fans across the world, Caribbean fans savour the involuntary adrenalin rush they feel, in anticipation or realisation of victory by their favourite team.
On another level, sport is used across the region as a vehicle for gender equity. Sport’s effectiveness as a stress reliever is well accepted as is its use as a social and economic escape route for persons in volatile communities, who, without sport, may turn to antisocial and self-destructive activities. The possibility of climate change crippling Caribbean sport, if timely climate-smart strategies are not implemented, is real. Therefore, climate-sensitive actions must be planned so that play can continue even when it rains.
Given the economic, social, cultural and recreational benefits, curbing sport in the region is not an option. In such a scenario, appropriate planning is mandatory. It is the duty of the Faculty of Sport as an entity of a research-intensive University of the West Indies to contemplate and research the variables thrown up in sport by our seasonal realities.
What will happen in the region when it is too hot or dark to play, practice or compete? How can we prevent playgrounds from being inaccessible during heavy rains? When there is drought, how do we fill the Olympic-sized pools for swimming, and further, what can we do to make our athletes less vulnerable to climatic threats such as lightning storms? In recent times, injuries, rescheduling of school games due to rain or lightning, soggy football fields, pandemic and other inconveniences point to one reality. For sport to maintain the prominence that it has in the Caribbean, plans must include ways to safeguard sport from the dangers of climate change as well as evidenced-based alternatives to traditional approaches to competition, practice and play.
Climate change has and will continue to affect rainfall patterns in the region, which can lead to sport-related inconveniences such as wet fields. Water harvesting is feasible for filling pools at the faculty’s sport facilities. Rainwater recycling is also a cheaper and green alternative to commercial water for activities such as washing surfaces and flushing toilets in washrooms. The relatively high temperatures to which cricketers and other athletes are exposed make their bodies susceptible to overheating. Some UWI athletes now train and compete in heat resistant shirts to mitigate the effects of exposure to high temperature that may cause dehydration. When athletes leave home to compete in places with cold temperatures, they may experience muscle cramps. Research that will yield data for the design and customising of training programmes that will result in Caribbean athletes performing at their best under not various weather conditions is much needed.
Sport and climate change mitigation and resilience are complex and require multi-stakeholder collaboration. The Faculty of Sport has selected the sporting facilities within the campuses of The UWI to be the areas to spearhead transformation into climate-smart and climate-sensitive facilities. Indoor track and courts encased by wind and water-impervious walls that can double as shelters in times of disaster will alleviate the problem of cancelling games and training during unfavourable weather. The use of solar and wind energy to heat or cool buildings will keep energy costs at affordable rates. With this arrangement, groups, including our community partners, health and wellness advocates, and citizens in the territories, can utilise the facility beyond daylight hours for sport, practice, group exercises, therapy and other wellness activities.
Sport Carbon Footprint
Although the UWI Faculty of Sport does not yet have the capacity to quantify the contribution of sport to carbon footprint in the region, we are being proactive in planning the upgrade of our facilities to become more efficient, while lessening sport carbon footprint. As a start, the faculty has completed a Caribbean Development Bank CDB-led condition survey. The team also reviewed all facilities in the UWI Academies of Sport to inform improvements in our sport infrastructure to better serve our stakeholders.
While climate-sensitive sport facilities are desirable, unless they are economically viable, they cannot be sustained. A Sport Economic Impact Assessment and Business Plan, with particular emphasis on mitigating climate issues, has been commissioned. The recommendations will guide operations and functions upgrade. The phased upgrade will reflect green options, risk management, social inclusion, cost recovery and earning strategies. The goal is for UWI Faculty of Sport infrastructure to become models to be adopted by countries in the region for transforming existing facilities and to inform the designs of any future facilities.