Only ten nations may host Winter Olympics by 2040, says IOC

The International Olympic Committee has announced that by 2040 only 10 countries in the world will have "climate credible" chances of hosting the Games. Are winter sports becoming a relic of the past?

Due to global warming, the winter sports season is becoming increasingly shorter. Glaciers that once could be skied on during the summer are shrinking at a record pace and are not being replenished in the winter. Not only is amateur winter skiing at risk, but so are athletes' competitions.

On 3 October, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) joined forces with the UN weather agency. The five-year partnership planned between FIS and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) aims to help national ski federations, venues, and competition organisers better understand weather forecasting for managing natural and artificial snow.

Both organisations are headquartered in Switzerland. In a joint statement, they acknowledged that "winter sports and tourism are facing a grim future due to climate change" and increasingly warmer temperatures. FIS reported that weather issues forced the cancellation of 26 out of 616 World Cups in the 2023/2024 season in disciplines such as alpine skiing and cross-country skiing, snowboard park and pipe, freestyle skiing, and ski jumping.

Competition organisers draw from local water resources to create artificial snow for preparing courses. Broadcasts often show races on a white ribbon of artificial snow, cutting through brown and green forests and fields. In a press statement, FIS President Johan Eliasch emphasised: "The climate crisis is much more important than FIS or sports. It is a real test for humanity." He added, "It is also true, however, that climate change is, quite simply, an existential threat to skiing and snowboarding."

In Switzerland, alpine glaciers have lost about 60% of their volume since 1850. The number of days with snowfall has halved since 1970, according to the UN agency headquartered in Geneva. Artificial snowmaking is a process requiring significant money, energy, and water, which can also negatively impact the soil. The International Olympic Committee stated that by 2040 only 10 countries worldwide might have "climate credible" prospects for hosting snow events during the Winter Olympic Games.