Professional athletes call on European Athletics to end ‘morally indefensible’ sponsorship by fossil fuel giant Shell
Professional athletes, climate scientists, and campaigners have all come together to call out Shell’s sponsorship of the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Istanbul this month. In an open letter reported in running magazine, Runners World, more than 100 signatories argue that Shell’s sponsorship of the tournament “normalises a major polluter and gives them a social licence to operate,” and they call on European Athletics to end their relationship with Shell.
The open letter, which is available in full here, was coordinated by Green Runners, Champions for Earth and the New Weather Institute. It argues that “the climate crisis puts the future of athletics, athletes and the world at stake” and that Shell’s track record on climate puts in direct opposition to a low carbon future in which athletics - and all sport - can thrive.
Shell is the biggest producer of oil and gas in Europe and one of top ten biggest polluters on the planet. Despite Shell’s greenwashing claims and dubious pledges, analysis shows that Shell will overshoot its carbon budget to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C by as early as 2034. In light of the latest warnings from the IPCC that fossil fuel emissions must peak by next year to keep the 1.5°C target alive, Shell is expanding its fossil fuel production around the world while slowing down relatively small investments into renewable energy.
More than 100 athletes, climate scientists, politicians and campaigners have signed the letter calling on European Athletics to cut its ties with Shell and introduce screen criteria for future partnerships to “show that you care about the future of athletics, and the planet.” Signatories include ultramarathon runners Jasmin Paris and Damian Hall, British Olympic gold medallist Etienne Stott MBE, British paralympian Anna Turney, professional footballer David Wheeler, and Green MP Caroline Lucas.
Ellen Donald, an under-20s English athlete and one of the signatories to the letter, said: “‘As a young aspiring distance runner, I am appalled that European Athletics is wilfully promoting Shell, a company whose reckless and destructive actions are already threatening the viability of athletics for young people worldwide, and are putting our hopes and dreams of a liveable future in jeopardy.”
Damian Hall, Elite Ultra Runner and co-founder of The Green Runners, said: "For any sporting body to take dirty sportswashing funds from the likes of Shell is morally indefensible and like drilling a hole in our own submarine."
Andrew Simms, co-director of the New Weather Institute, said: "Running is one of the best ways of experiencing the world, but major polluters like Shell are wrecking the climate that runners depend on. Oil companies are making ever more green claims while spending billions on drilling for more polluting fossil fuels. For European Athletics to let itself be used as a billboard by Shell is like blowing smoke in the face of its own athletes. We have to stop sponsorships fuelling the climate emergency"