According to sources, Björn Sandström is an elite skier and trained environmental scientist who has long worked to reduce the climate footprint within winter sports. In 2023, he wrote an open letter to the international ski federation, FIS, though the specific content of that letter has not been disclosed. In connection with the Olympics in Milan, Sandström handed over a petition with around 150 signatures from athletes from around the world to the IOC.
The exact number of signatories and their countries of origin remain unclear. The athletes want the IOC to set requirements on which sponsors the organizers of the Olympic and Paralympic Games can have, but the specific requirements they are advocating for have not been detailed. This year's Games have an Italian fossil fuel company as a sponsor, though the identity of that company is unknown.
The big problem is that we are a large showcase for the fossil era.
" He has received many reactions to his petition, but the nature of those reactions has not been specified. Sandström hopes to influence the IOC, which has its next major meeting in June.
Paris 2024 declined a fossil fuel company.