Is winter sports' icy future melting away by 2040?

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

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

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

Both organizations are headquartered in Switzerland. In a joint statement, they admitted 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, cross-country skiing, snowboard park and pipe, freestyle skiing, and ski jumping.

Competition organizers 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. FIS President Johan Eliasch emphasized in a press statement: "The climate crisis is obviously 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 percent 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.