Total of 55 people – several with fine merits in Vasaloppet, the World Cup, and at national level – have signed the appeal.
The accused companies "use Vasaloppet's popularity to 'greenwash' their extremely emission-intensive companies", it says.
"Vasaloppet provides these companies with fantastic advertising, which contributes to increased sales and thus increased emissions. In particular, the sponsorship collaboration with the oil company Preem is problematic, as the emissions from Preem's production and products are greater than Sweden's entire national emissions", the article authors claim.
Climate changes affect the conditions for sports, it is emphasized.
"As the winters become warmer, we are already seeing major problems today with the accessibility of ski trails and cancelled competitions due to lack of snow. Our and Sweden's entire Vasaloppet is no exception, since 2007 the hundred-year-old competition has been dependent on artificial snow."
