HIGH ACHIEVERS: 2-time Olympian Seyi Smith tackles climate change in bid for IOC Athletes’ Commission seat

By Martin Cleary

Ottawa’s Seyi Smith has fought the good fight as an athlete, had his moments of recognition and is a member of a rare group of Canadians to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

Dedicated to the 100 and 200 metres as well as the long jump, Smith was most notable for his athletics’ contributions to Canada’s 4×100-metre relay teams. He helped Canada place fifth at the 2009 world championships and for 10 minutes was a bronze medallist at the 2012 London Summer Olympics before Canada was disqualified for a lane violation.

As a bobsleigh athlete, he was part of driver Justin Kripps’ four-man crew, winning three 2017 World Cup medals (one silver and two bronze) and placing sixth at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The Brookfield High School grad considered and was encouraged to continue his athletic career using his high-level speed, but Smith had another calling. The electrical engineer with a specialty in renewable energy technologies wanted to do his part to tackle climate change by rallying his athletic peers, major sport organizations and grassroot sport groups.

As part of his critical mission, Smith wants to bring his voice to the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission, which has a maximum of 23 members who are vital contributors to the Olympic movement.

Smith, 34, is one of 17 candidates running to fill two vacant seats on the Athletes’ Commission. Voting started on Jan. 27, which was the opening day of the three Athletes’ Villages for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and will conclude Feb. 16. The commission vacancies were created by Canadian hockey star Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, who has finished her eight-year term, and Norwegian biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjorndalen, who resigned in 2016.

“Becoming an Olympian takes millions of small steps and a few big performances,” Smith wrote in a first-person story for CBC. “Fighting climate change is the same. Yes, it can seem insurmountable, but if everyone starts taking small steps to make a difference, the big and crucial changes will come, too.”

Smith will tell you researchers at the Sport Ecology Group are predicting significant changes must be in place by 2050 or North American professional sports venues will be impacted by “the flooding, heat waves and poor air quality we are just starting with now.”

The impact was felt eight months ago in Europe. A raging river of muddy water severely damaged the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge track at Konigssee during the deadly June, 2021, floods in Germany, which killed more than 150 people. The iconic Konigssee track has played host to six world bobsleigh championships.

“I remain positive,” added Smith, who is on the IOC’s Sustainability and Legacy Commission and sat on the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission from 2012-20, serving as chair from 2017-20.

“I have faith that, if inspired and led by those they admire, including athletes, humanity can embrace the change we need. Three groups are crucial to fighting climate change through sports: major sport organizations, athletes, and grassroot sport organizations.”

Smith wants the major sports groups to “lead the way.” During the annual Green Sports Day in Canada, he assisted in bringing industry leaders, politicians and athletes together “to learn and share best practices for sustainable sport.”

Vancouver 2030 bid wants to place sustainability at the forefront

International and national sports organizations are being encouraged by the International Olympic Committee to sign on for the United Nations Sports for Climate Change Framework. Three hundred groups already have agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030. This project will raise awareness and educate sports groups about sustainability, according to Smith.

And the Canadian Olympic Committee could be at the forefront of this movement as it’s considering staging the 2030 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., along with four First Nations – Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh.

While the Canadian bid committee looks at “generating a lasting legacy far beyond sports including developing a new standard for diversity, inclusivity and accessibility to create barrier-free access to sport and recreation in this country,” according to Canadian Paralympic Committee president Marc-Andre Fabien, it also could lead the way by producing a more environmentally friendly Games.

“The signatories pledged to have all Olympic Games from 2030 onwards be climate positive, meaning the Olympics will remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than they emit,” Smith wrote. “They plan on achieving this by optimizing their air travel and funding the development of an ‘Olympic Forest,’ which will contribute to the UN-backed Great Green Wall project in Africa.”

Smith founded Racing to Zero – YYC because of the amount of waste produced at sports events and the need to grow more sustainable practices. Smith initiated the idea to make track and field meets in Calgary more environmentally friendly in regards to plastic waste, transportation impacts and other areas of sustainability.

That’s where young athletes and their parents come into play as Smith encourages them “to organize carbon-efficient ways of travelling during the season, eliminate waste, and source sustainable materials for clothing and equipment” to become greener and minimize their carbon footprint.

“If parents and coaches are making this routine and explaining why, then the next generation is more likely to make sustainable decisions,” he added.

Smith also believes high-performance athletes can have a great influence on making a difference for climate change.

“Athletes are doers,” he continued. “We overcome problems and persevere, we execute. Olympians are uniquely positioned as role models, who cross cultures, and we need to embrace that power and our platforms.”

If the world’s best athletes are coming together every two years “to celebrate our shared humanity” during the Winter and Summer Olympics, Smith insisted “we need to ensure that in doing so, we’re not endangering humanity in the process.”

Smith is running against a formidable group of athletes on the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission ballot, including Olympic champions such as France’s Martin Fourcade (biathlon), The Netherlands’ Ireen Wust (long-track speed skating), Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter (alpine skiing) and Czech Republic’s Eva Samkova (snowboard cross).

The other candidates are Nigeria’s Seun Adigun and Israel’s Adam Edelman, both bobsleigh; Switzerland’s Florence Schelling, hockey; Slovenia’s Jernej Damjan, ski jumping; Guatemala’s Dalia Soberanis, long-track speed skating; American Samoa’s Nathan Ikon Crumpton, skeleton; India’s Shiva Keshavan, Romania’s Raluca Stramaturaru and Chinese Taipei’s Te-An Lien, all luge; and Brazil’s Jaqueline Mourao, Greece’s Maria Ntanou and Togo’s Mathilde Amivi Petitjean, all cross-country skiing.