By Iain Axon
MILAN, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Future editions of the Winter Olympics could be moved to January from their current February slot in order to benefit from more snow and colder weather, as climate change is forcing the International Olympic Committee to review all aspects of its winter sports bonanza.
The IOC is also considering the move in order to allow the Paralympics, which traditionally follow the Olympics by a few weeks, to be held in February, instead of their current slot in March.
“Maybe we are also discussing to bring the Winter Olympics a little bit earlier to do it in January because it has an implication for the Paralympics as well,” Karl Stoss, who heads the IOC’s Olympic Programme Working Group, told reporters on Wednesday.
“The Paralympics are now in March, and this is very late because the sun is strong enough to melt the snow. So maybe the Paralympics will be in February and the other (Winter Olympics) edition will be in January.”
The last time the Winter Olympics kicked off in January was 62 years ago, at the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics which opened on January 29.
With temperatures rising across the globe, natural snow is becoming less plentiful in some regions and water availability for snowmaking is falling as a result of climate change, putting the global snow sport industry at risk.
By 2040 only 10 nations will be able to host the snow sports of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to an IOC study.
The 2022 Beijing Games became the first Winter Olympics to use virtually 100% artificial snow by deploying more than 100 snow generators and 300 snow-making guns working flat out to cover the ski slopes.
SUMMER SPORTS
The IOC is also considering introducing traditional summer sports into the Winter Olympics in order to boost popularity and generate revenues. Both the 2030 French Alps and the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics are scheduled for February.
“We are reviewing the size of the Games, the mix of sports, options for new additions. We also look at potential crossover between summer and winter sports,” Stoss told an IOC session earlier on Wednesday.
Running and cycling disciplines are often mentioned as likely candidates. Some winter sports federations, however, are cautious of such a move as it would cut into their traditional market.
“I truly believe that also with a climate change, to have some winter disciplines like cyclocross within the Games could be a good asset for two reasons,” International Cycling Union (UCI) chief David Lappartient told reporters.
He said leading cyclists could take part while cyclocross, which is a cycle race with steep hills, muddy trails and obstacles, is already attracting big audiences.
“So we can potentially extend to address also climate change to maybe bring more universality, to bring also stars,” Lappartient said.
(Writing by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)
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