How the Winter Olympics are under threat from climate change

A general view of the National Ski Jumping Centre, a venue for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Zhangjiakou, China's northern Hebei province. Photo: Wang Zhao/AFP

We may have to add the Winter Olympics to the long list of things that are in danger of disappearing due to climate change.

According to a recent US study, only one of the 21 past host cities would be able to host the competition in optimal conditions by the end of the century.

Skiing, bobsled, ice hockey, figure skating – Olympic fans are probably looking forward to the 2022 winter edition, which will open on Feb 4 in Beijing. But they may have to prepare themselves to say goodbye to some of the legendary events of this competition in the decades to come.

This is the warning message of an international team of researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Published in late December, the study reviewed historical climate data from the 1920s to the present, as well as different climate change scenarios developed for the period 2050-2080. Interviews with 339 elite athletes and coaches from 20 countries were also conducted.

ccording to 89% of them, climate change is affecting competition conditions, while 94% fear that it will have an impact on the future development of their sport.