The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) will be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12. Below is a collection of sports events that have been impacted by climate concerns and protests in recent months:
- **November 15**: Organizers announced that the start time for the marathon qualifying event in Orlando for the 2024 Olympics was changed to 10:00 AM local time instead of the originally scheduled noon start due to runners' concerns about heat. A group of top U.S. marathon runners met with Max Siegel, CEO of USA Track and Field, hoping to change the noon start time due to fears regarding the heat in the host city.
- **November 6**: Footage showed Cristiano Biraghi, captain of the Italian football team Fiorentina, helping to clear mud and water in the streets of Campi Bisenzio after volunteering to assist victims of devastating floods in the area. Seven people died after rivers overflowed due to heavy rainfall in Tuscany. The Fiorentina supporters association called for the postponement of the team's local league match against Juventus to focus efforts on aiding flood victims. The match took place as scheduled, with Juventus winning 1-0, but the supporters association did not attend, opting to help those affected.
- **October 9**: Organizers of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Qatar expressed a desire to take actions to protect drivers from extreme heat and humidity experienced during the race. Some drivers nearly collapsed, vomited, and suffered from severe dehydration after the race. Logan Sargent, a rising Williams driver, felt so exhausted that he could not continue. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) stated that the measures would be discussed at a meeting of its medical commission in Paris. During the night race at the Lusail Circuit, temperatures did not drop below 36 degrees Celsius, while daytime temperatures exceeded 40 degrees.
- **September 7**: A protest by environmental activists halted a semi-final match at the U.S. Open tennis championship between American Coco Gauff and Czech Karolína Muchová for about an hour. Organizers expelled three of the four protesters from the venue, while the fourth affixed themselves to a seat, requiring medical personnel to safely remove them afterward.
- **September 6**: Daniil Medvedev, ranked third, expressed frustration over the hot weather during the U.S. Open, despite winning his quarter-final and reaching the semi-finals. He stated, "You can't imagine the situation, it will end with one of the players dying, and then others will start to act."
- **September 3**: The match between Atlético Madrid and Sevilla in La Liga was postponed due to the significant potential risks associated with heavy rainfall. Spanish meteorological authorities issued warnings for severe weather in several regions, including Madrid, prompting Luis Martínez Almeida, the mayor of Madrid, to advise residents to stay indoors due to forecasted "the heaviest rainfall since records began 49 years ago."
- **July 12**: The 10th stage of the Tour de France bicycle race was paused for ten minutes after six environmental activists attempted to stop the cyclists on the road. The activists, one wearing a shirt that read "We have 989 days," sat on the road about 36 kilometers from the stage's finish in Megève.
- **July 31**: Chinese player Wu Yibing collapsed during a match at the Washington Open tennis tournament due to the high temperatures. The 23-year-old player fell during the first set and had to withdraw amid tense conditions.
- **July 3**: Rain caused an 80-minute delay in Novak Djokovic's opening match at Wimbledon after the grass became too slippery. Despite Djokovic's efforts to dry the court with towels and help from ground staff with water blowers, the frustrating delay occurred. Play was expected to resume within 30 minutes after the roof was closed, leading to confusion for Djokovic, his opponent, Argentine Pedro Cachin, and the spectators.
- **June 20**: The match between Scotland and Georgia in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers was halted for an hour and 40 minutes due to heavy rain. What was supposed to be a brief 20-minute stoppage turned into a long delay before resuming after the ground was deemed playable.
- **June 3**: An activist from the Dernière Rénovation group disrupted the semi-final match at the French Open between Marin Čilić and Casper Ruud by entering the court and attaching herself to the net while wearing a shirt that read "We have 1028 days."
- **May 16**: Officials requested Formula 1 crews to leave the Imola circuit amid concerns of flooding as water levels in the nearby Santerno River rose after heavy rain days before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
- **April 23**: Climate activist protests delayed the start of the second Berlin race in the Formula E World Championship when protesters crossed barriers and sat in front of the cars. Formula E prides itself as the only FIA championship free of carbon emissions and as the first sport in the world to receive a carbon-neutral certification since its inception.
- **April 9**: A match between Tunisian Ons Jabeur and Russian Daria Kasatkina at the Charleston Open was halted due to heavy rainfall while the Arab player was trailing 5-3 in the first set. After a three-hour delay, Jabeur won 7-5, 7-5 to reach the tournament final held on clay courts. Following her victory, Jabeur stated, "I have to thank the rain; it allowed me to talk to my coach, who gave me some advice, and that reflected in the first set. After that, I was patient and focused on winning points, which helped me a lot."
- **January 17**: During the Australian Open matches, extreme heat forced tournaments on outdoor courts to stop and made spectators seek shelter in the shade. Organizers implemented extreme heat measures for three hours during the day as temperatures reached 36 degrees, causing major disruptions to matches. Over 20 matches were halted due to the heat, while weather conditions in Melbourne fluctuated drastically, with heavy rain amid a cold wave following a period of extreme heat.
