Björn SANDSTRÖM

Björn SANDSTRÖMis a Swedish professional cross-country skier aiming for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.

He is completing a degree in Environmental Science, and he is also working for a progressive environmental company. Björn has been keenly aware that his sport contributes significantly to climate change in a negative way. In his years skiing the World Cup circuit, Björn has seen firsthand the accelerating effects of climate change throughout Europe’s winter landscapes. The tension between his work with carbon emission mitigation and his discomfort over elite skiing’s unsustainable practices drove him toward more active initiatives.

Alongside conducting emission analyses based on carbon-accounting, Björn’s work requires that he build and maintain strong relationships within the ski community while also effectively communicating the challenges that elite skiing faces regarding climate change. This combination of skills is crucial to create behavior changes connected to winter sports.

More recently, Björn has become engaged as an activist, partially through Protect Our Winters, where his focus has been on sportwashing by oil-companies in winter sports. The unique combination of being an athlete and an educated environmentalist has allowed him to balance activism and diplomacy, which has resulted in effective initiatives.