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Cool Down

@cooldownnetwork.bsky.social
466 followers 48 following 252 posts

The world is heating up, Cool Down - the sport for climate action network, works to cool it down. We share here what our members do. See cooldownclimate.org

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The Green Runners @thegreenrunners.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Sportswashing is an oily stain on our sports. We campaign for all running events drop high-carbon sponsors. We’ve identified 41 races with high-carbon sponsors. 24 gas & oil, 14 airline & three car manufacturers. No doubt we’ve missed many more. @badvertising.bsky.social
thegreenrunners.com
Sportswashing: Drop polluting sponsors - The Green Runners CIC
The Green Runners say that taking sponsorship money from high-carbon industries to support a running event or fund local charities isn’t ethical. We’ve called
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The Green Runners @thegreenrunners.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Wizz Air claim to have the lowest airline CO2 emissions in Europe. At the same time, their desire is to provide everyone with flights at the lowest price & all you can fly annual passes. Reducing emissions while fuelling demand for cheap flights isn’t the answer. @badvertising.bsky.social
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The Green Runners @thegreenrunners.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Nine European races are sponsored by Wizz Air. Together with @badvertising.bsky.social & @flightfreeuk.bsky.social, we call on the races to drop the airline at the earliest opportunity. Big polluters have no place in our sport. They’re taking the Whizz 🤬 ✍️ Sign our petition. 🛑 Stop #sportswashing
c.org
Sign the Petition
Drop Polluting Sponsors - Stop taking the Whizz
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Premier League has shown that a sponsorship industry once described as indispensable can be phased out. The question is whether it is ready to apply the same thinking to the industries whose products are endangering the future of the game.
cooldownclimate.org
The Premier League banned gambling sponsorship on shirts. Could polluting sponsors be next? — Cool Down
For twenty years we were told it couldn't be done. Football needed the bookmakers and gambling companies’' money. Take it away and clubs would go under, the pyramid would crumble, the product would su...
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
So what would a serious approach to restricting polluting sponsorship look like? Not just shirts. Kit, stadium naming rights, competition title rights and digital inventory - across the men’s and women’s game and the wider football pyramid.
cooldownclimate.org
The Fossil Free Declaration — Cool Down
Launched by the Cool Down - Sport For Climate Action Network, the Declaration is a pledge for sports organisations, athletes, and fans to demonstrate climate leadership by rejecting sponsorships and c...
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
But there’s a big warning here too. The gambling ban only covers the front of the shirt. So betting brands have moved onto sleeves, training kits and other spaces. A partial ban doesn’t necessarily remove an industry from sponsorship.
goal.com
How Man Utd, Tottenham & more are exploiting a 'loophole' in the Premier League's new anti-gambling sponsor rules | Goal.com
Betting sponsors are no longer allowed on the front of Premier League matchday shirts, but the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham have ensured gambling adverts are still everywhere
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The gambling ban wasn’t imposed by government. In 2023, Premier League clubs voted overwhelmingly to remove betting sponsors from the front of shirts, with three seasons to phase out existing deals. They were given time to adjust.
premierleague.com
Premier League statement on gambling sponsorship
Clubs agree to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their matchday shirts, the first UK sports league to do so
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The comparison matters because high-carbon sponsors are typically protected by the same "we can't afford it" argument. This means that - despite the harm they cause - fossil fuel companies, airlines, and unsustainable car companies get off the hook.
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
NEW PIECE: Football said it couldn’t afford to lose gambling sponsors. Then twenty Premier League clubs started this season without a front shirt betting sponsor Football did not collapse. So why do many view high-carbon industries so differently? 🧵
cooldownclimate.org
The Premier League banned gambling sponsorship on shirts. Could polluting sponsors be next? — Cool Down
For twenty years we were told it couldn't be done. Football needed the bookmakers and gambling companies’' money. Take it away and clubs would go under, the pyramid would crumble, the product would su...
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
CAMPAIGN WIN: Bristol has just banned high-carbon advertising on publicly-owned space. With the city including fast fashion for the first time. Momentum is building across the UK for a fossil fuel ad ban. 🚀 Here’s the story so far. 🧵
bbc.com
Bristol becomes first city to ban fast fashion adverts
New rules prohibits the promotion of flights, cars and travel agents on council-owned billboards.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A recent sponsor switch-up for Liverpool FC is keeping polluting industries in the lead.    Here’s how we can change the game.  www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Liverpool agree £60m-a-year shirt sponsorship deal with Turkish Airlines
Liverpool have announced a new shirt sponsorship deal with Turkish Airlines worth more than £60m a year to the club
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Another Vuelta a España stage has been adapted due to extreme weather.  And riders are rightly questioning this new normal.  www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/s...
theguardian.com
‘What are we doing?’: Brennan’s anger at racing in 44C heat as Van Aert wins shortened stage
Britain’s Matthew Brennan complained of the high temperatures the riders were racing in as Wout van Aert won stage 15 of the Vuelta a España
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The UN has revealed that the world is likely to breach 1.5°C of warming within the next few years. It is not more important than ever that we not only ramp up renewables, but also reduce demand for fossil fuels. This is where a fossil ad ban must come in. 🧵 1/6
unep.org
Limiting Overshoot - Navigating exceedance of 1.5°C and pathways towards return
Limiting global warming to 1.5°C remains a cornerstone of the Paris Agreement, yet under current policies and alternative near-term trajectories, exceedance of 1.5°C is now widely assessed as unavoida...
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Eben Muse @ebenmyrddin.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I published this article for the Welsh magazine 'Barn' today. It's the only story I've seen about the morally dubious sponsorship of the @eisteddfod.cymru Science Village by Valero, one of the world's largest oil refining companies. barn.cymru/en_gb/yr-eis...
barn.cymru
Yr Eisteddfod a’r diwydiant olew – Barn
Braf oedd darllen datganiad yr Eisteddfod, yn fuan wedi prifwyl y Garreg Las, eu bod yn ‘bwriadu cyflwyno…
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Extreme heat is causing serious injury and postponed seasons in grassroots football.  While elite football promotes harmful industries, players at other levels are left to suffer.  www.nytimes.com/athletic/752...
nytimes.com
Life-changing injuries and postponed seasons: How the heatwave is impacting grassroots football
The United Kingdom has endured its hottest and driest summer on record, leaving grass pitches rock hard and cracked ahead of the new season
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
BIG NEWS: Criminal legal proceedings are being launched against Fifa president Gianni Infantino by Uefa. But Fifa has a deeper issue than Infantino - it has been selling the game to the highest bidder for decades. 🧵 1/6
bbc.co.uk
Gianni Infantino: Uefa pursuing criminal legal proceedings against Fifa president
Uefa is pursuing criminal proceedings against Fifa president Gianni Infantino over the scrapped plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España race was cancelled yesterday as extreme weather threatened rider safety. 🌧️ As climate chaos impacts cycling’s biggest events, polluting sponsors remain in the lead. 🚴‍♂️ www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/vuelt...
cyclingweekly.com
Vuelta a España stage three neutralised and then abandoned after hailstorm
Heavy weather stops race in Font-Romeu, France
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 opening game on Sunday was relocated due to extreme heat.⚽️ Meanwhile PSG’s owners are still one of the world’s most prolific fossil fuel producers. 🛢️ www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
PSG’s Ligue 1 home opener moved to Rennes after pitch damaged by heat
Paris Saint-Germain will face Rennes in Brittany because the Parc des Princes playing surface is a risk to ‘the safety and wellbeing of the players’
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
🚨 Petition: Infantino must go. Under Gianni Infantino, football's crowning tournament has become a political vehicle and advertising platform for polluters and the power hungry. ⏪ Let's revisit some of his lowlights. 🧵 1/5 Sign: change.org/infantino-out-now
change.org
Sign the Petition
Global petition: Gianni Infantino to resign & FIFA reform
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Football carries many hidden environmental costs. And moving a player between clubs can shed light on the wider issues the game has with carbon emissions. ⚽️ www.football365.com/news/hidden-...
football365.com
The hidden costs involved in Bruno Guimaraes' move to Arsenal
Arsenal paid Newcastle £75m to sign Bruno Guimaraes, but the cost doesn't end there when moving a player and his family between cities.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The controversial and failed bid by FIFA president Infantino to sell stakes in future football tournaments goes beyond football, and raises an important question: who does sport really belong to? theconversation.com/who-does-spo...
theconversation.com
Who does sport really belong to – the fans or the funders?
Fifa’s recent sell-off controversy has reignited the debate about ownership of football and other sports.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
🚨 In a new piece for CyclingWeekly, Matt Rendell investigates the self-declared "green" claims of the Arctic Race of Norway. Spoiler: it's about as green as a satsuma. 🍊 📖 Full piece: www.cyclingweekly.com/news/the-uci... Join the Fossil Free Declaration 👉 www.cooldownclimate.org/the-fossil-f...
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
🌡️ Over TWO THIRDS of the UK is in drought. Sports pitches have hardened while athletes are struggling to perform in the heat. Yet, decision makers continue to bury their heads in the arid sand by partnering with polluting sponsors. 📺💨 An explainer on sportswashing. 🧵 1/2
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
This. There's no beautiful game without the grassroots.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
🚨 Big Oil made $93 BILLION in profit in three months. As war pushed oil prices up and fossil-fuelled heatwaves, fires and drought devastated communities, oil giants cashed in. 🫰 And they’re still allowed to advertise like they’re part of the solution. 🧵 1/7
theguardian.com
Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis
Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
This week, FIFA has come under fire for trying to privatise the World Cup. And now, FIFA president Infantino aims to rush through an expansion of the 2030 World Cup to a whopping 64 teams. This is a short-sighted, money-making, climate-wrecking plan. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Fifa rapidly accelerates plan to expand World Cup to 64 teams from 2030 tournament
Fifa has accelerated plans to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams and opened a tender to research companies to assess the economic benefits quickly
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing heavy leadership challenges after he ditched his controversial World Cup sell-off plan. 💰 Now more than ever, FIFA must drop their polluting sponsors and start protecting the future of football.  www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Gianni Infantino ‘has lost Uefa’s confidence’ after Fifa chief scraps World Cup sell-off plan
Gianni Infantino ‘has lost the confidence’ of Uefa following his aborted project to sell off the World Cup to private investors, European football’s governing body has said
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
⏪ This week Ekaterina Alexandrova collapsed in 34C heat at the Memphis Classic. This marks the third high-profile heat safety incident in elite tennis this year. 🧵 1/6
bbc.com
Ekaterina Alexandrova: Russian tennis player collapses on court amid 34C heat
World number 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova collapses on court and had to retire from her first-round match at the Memphis Classic due to high temperatures.
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Athletes are among society's most influential. Yet, despite caring deeply about the climate crisis, many feel unable to speak out. In a pioneering new programme, Oxford University is helping athletes step into climate leadership. 👇 Share the application 👉 leadership.climate.ox.ac.uk/join-us/
cooldownclimate.org
Why athletes could be the next generation of climate leaders — Cool Down
The Oxford Climate Leadership Research Centre is recruiting a cohort of influential athletes who want to use their platform to inspire climate action.
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FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
No one owns football. It is the common property of humanity. FIFA plans to sell off its tournaments to private equity. It is not FIFA's to sell. Our statement: rebootfifa.com/news/reboot-...
A FairSquare Reboot campaign graphic. Plain cream background, black text in a bold sans serif. A thin rule across the top, labelled "Page 1 of 4". Large headline: "No one owns football. It is the common property of humanity." Below it, in smaller type: "FIFA plans to sell off its tournaments to private equity. The plan should be opposed by FIFA's member associations, and by clubs, players and fans across the world." Then a single line: "This is our statement on recent developments." A rule across the bottom separates a footer holding the FairSquare wordmark, its logo beneath it, a solid black square with a rectangular notch cut into the top edge, and to the right the word REBOOT in heavy black capitals.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
🚨 The World Cup is officially for sale. 🏆💰 Fifa President Gianni Infantino is trying to sell a 20% stake in Fifa competitions to private investors. Here's how FIFA corruption, a strange orange man and petrostates all intersect. 🧵 1/9
bbc.com
Fifa World Cup plans: First lot of private cash could be received by end of October
Fifa could bank first lot of private World Cup cash by end of October as European football's governing body Uefa will hold a meeting of all 55 member associations on Thursday afternoon to discuss its ...
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The sporting world eventually recognised that tobacco advertising was damaging. 🚭📺 The same question now faces fossil fuels. Read Peter Crisp and Andrew Simms' new piece on Cool Down. 👇 6/6
cooldownclimate.org
As fossil fuelled heatwaves and wildfires kill back home, Spain’s young stars are being used to sell more oil — Cool Down
The stadium fell silent in memory of wildfire victims before Spain’s World Cup quarter final. Seconds later, giant screens lit up in the green and blue branding of Aramco, the world’s biggest oil comp...
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The irony is hard to ignore. Football is already being transformed by climate change. Matches are increasingly played in dangerous heat, players need cooling breaks, and grassroots clubs are dealing with flooded and damaged pitches. 5/6
footballforfuture.org
A LANDMARK CLIMATE REPORT AHEAD OF THE 2026 WORLD CUP | Football For Future
Elite athletes and community leaders celebrate the creation of Fields of Change, the first ever training resource designed to help grassroots organisations integrate environmental sustainability into ...
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
This is no accident. Just as tobacco companies once used sport to make cigarettes seem aspirational, fossil fuel companies are using football's biggest stage to normalise the industry driving the climate crisis. Aramco reportedly pays around $100 million a year to sponsor FIFA. 4/6
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
To top off the tournament's sportswashing, Spain's Pau Cubarsí received the Young Player Award from Aramco chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. 💰💨 In Cubarsí's nation, over 1,000 have people died in recent heatwaves, and 13 people were killed in wildfires just days before the final. 3/6
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
FIFA has stated that it takes climate breakdown seriously. 🤥 Yet throughout the World Cup, billions of viewers watched Aramco - the world's largest oil company - promoted across stadiums, broadcasts and the Young Player Award. 2/6
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
NEW PIECE: Spain's World Cup quarter-final began with a minute's silence for victims of deadly wildfires. Seconds later, screens lit up with Aramco's branding. As fossil fuelled wildfires raged back home, Spain's young stars were used to sell more oil. 🧵 1/6
cooldownclimate.org
As fossil fuelled heatwaves and wildfires kill back home, Spain’s young stars are being used to sell more oil — Cool Down
The stadium fell silent in memory of wildfire victims before Spain’s World Cup quarter final. Seconds later, giant screens lit up in the green and blue branding of Aramco, the world’s biggest oil comp...
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
The 2026 World Cup directly increased demand for fossil fuels. In a new report, the World Cup is revealed to have increased the brand value of the world's largest fossil fuel company by 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗦 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀. Here's the story. 🧵 1/6 maaal.com/en/news/deta...
maaal.com
2026 World Cup Sponsors Achieve $61 Billion in Brand Value from $2.8 Billion in Sponsorship Investments
A private deal was executed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) today, Wednesday, involving 327,034 shares of the National Commercial Bank (SNB) at a…
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"Concerning the climate crisis... there is a rule of silence, as deeply rooted in cycling culture as the old omertá about doping.” In a seismic interview, a pro cyclist speaks out - under condition of anonymity - on the sport's fossil fuel sponsor problem. 🧵 1/6
cyclingweekly.com
Pro cyclist opens up about fossil fuel sponsorship amid sweltering Tour
Cycling, with its shady, drug-suffused past, has a long history of awkward silences and unfathomable omissions. As the world warms and blistering temperatures affect the Tour de France, an eerily fami...
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Spain may have lifted the trophy, but the real World Cup winners are the polluting companies whose adverts filled every stadium during the tournament.  www.cooldownclimate.org/latest/world...
cooldownclimate.org
WORLD CUP 2026: a tournament we can't ignore — Cool Down
Here’s all the resources you need to get clued up on the most polluting World Cup ever.
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
If football wants to protect the game, it needs to protect the communities that sustain it. That means investing in grassroots resilience-not allowing polluting companies to sportswash their reputation. Read the full piece. 👇 6/6 www.cooldownclimate.org/latest/when-...
cooldownclimate.org
When the storm came, trust was our greatest asset — Cool Down
Kathy McAllister, executive director of GOALS Haiti, describes life after Hurricane Melissa, the recovery for grassroots sport and the power of trust.
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Meanwhile, football's global governing body continues to accept sponsorship from the industries fuelling climate breakdown. 🤯 5/6 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Fifa urged to drop Saudi oil giant Aramco as activists target World Cup
Fifa has defended its Aramco sponsorship, saying revenues are reinvested back into football at all levels
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
The irony? Communities like those in Haiti have contributed the least to climate breakdown, yet face some of its worst impacts. 4/6 www.climatejusticecenter.org/newsletter/h...
climatejusticecenter.org
Global Center for Climate Justice
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
As climate impacts worsen, that's the real value of community sport. Not just producing players - but creating resilient communities that can respond when crisis hits. 3/6 www.straitstimes.com/sport/footba...
straitstimes.com
World Cup 2026: Haiti, a ravaged nation whose heart beats for football
The Grenadiers, as Haiti’s team are known, made their only previous World Cup appearance in West Germany in 1974. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
In the aftermath of the disaster, coaches became first responders. By becoming an integral part of the community, they were able to direct assistance to those that needed it most. This is the kind of trust that is build over years. 2/6
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Cool Down @cooldownnetwork.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
When Hurricane Melissa hit Haiti, football pitches became emergency hubs. Not because of the grass. But because of the trust built there over years. A powerful piece from Kathy McAllister of @goalshaiti on why sport is about far more than sport. 👇 1/6 www.cooldownclimate.org/latest/when-...
cooldownclimate.org
When the storm came, trust was our greatest asset — Cool Down
Kathy McAllister, executive director of GOALS Haiti, describes life after Hurricane Melissa, the recovery for grassroots sport and the power of trust.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
In a historic first, a recent stage of the Tour de France was shortened due to extreme heat. 🔥🚴‍♂️ Yet the tournament is still sponsored by polluting industries fuelling this crisis. ⛽️ www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Tadej Pogacar urges radical overhaul of Tour de France amid stifling heatwave
Tadej Pogacar called for radical change to the professional racing calendar after another day of stifling temperatures, as Mathieu van der Poel won the ninth stage
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
🚨 NEW REPORT: FIFA's World Cup isn't only promoting fossil fuels. It's also promoting aviation. Our new briefing estimates FIFA's sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways could induce 3.7 million tonnes of CO₂e in additional greenhouse gas emissions. www.cooldownclimate.org/latest/the-w...
cooldownclimate.org
The World Cup's biggest climate cost isn't the tournament - it's the sponsors — Cool Down
New analysis finds that FIFA's deals with just four high-carbon sponsors - led by fossil fuel giant Aramco - could drive over four times more climate pollution than the tournament itself.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
🚨 NEW REPORT: FIFA's biggest climate impact isn't flights or stadiums. It's promoting polluters. Our new briefing finds FIFA's deal with Aramco alone is estimated to induce 34.7 million tonnes of CO₂e – almost 4x the emissions of the entire World Cup. www.cooldownclimate.org/latest/the-w...
cooldownclimate.org
The World Cup's biggest climate cost isn't the tournament - it's the sponsors — Cool Down
New analysis finds that FIFA's deals with just four high-carbon sponsors - led by fossil fuel giant Aramco - could drive over four times more climate pollution than the tournament itself.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
In his latest film for The New Weather Institute and The Cool Down Network, Matt Rendell tells the story that lead to FC Barcelona cutting ties with their high-polluting, socially divisive oil company Gran Tierra Energy. youtu.be/rEkSyLcbjuQ
youtu.be
Barćawash
YouTube video by Badvertising
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