--- title: "The Winter Olympics Have a Problem: They’re Being Ruined by Climate Change" description: "How does one hold the Winter Olympics when \"winter\" as we knew it is changing for the worse?" date: "2022-01-31" modified: "2022-01-31" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/winter-olympics-climate" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "environmental issues" - "Olympics" --- # The Winter Olympics Have a Problem: They’re Being Ruined by Climate Change ![How does one hold the Winter Olympics when "winter" as we knew it is changing for the worse?]() *\Image: Patrick Smith/Getty Images\* How does one hold the Winter Olympics when "winter" as we knew it is changing for the worse? Melting snow, high winds, and the many other ills of climate change are on the minds of Olympians and scientists alike as the world gears up for the Beijing Olympics, which are taking place not only on the [eighth hottest consecutive year on record](), but also, of course, during the [still-raging COVID-19 pandemic](). World-class skiers got a taste of what to expect in Beijing [during the Alpine Ski World Cup](). Organizers on two continents had to [cancel slalom competitions]() due to dangerously high winds that, [as *The Guardian* notes](), appeared to give unfair advantages to the first racers to descend during women's matches in Vermont, and even tragically led to the French bronze medalist Victor Muffat-Jeandet [breaking his ankle in Zagreb](), Croatia. A recent study [published in the *Current Issues in Tourism* journal]() found that conditions in Winter Olympics cities have become increasingly dangerous and unfair over the last 50 years — and, according to the researchers' projections, a vanishingly small number of previous host cities will have enough snow and ice for the games in the future. While much emphasis is placed on the phony snow shipped into winter sports arenas — as is happening in Beijing this year — the impacts of climate change on winter sports are perhaps felt more severely in the places where Olympians live and train because artificial snow is often an unsustainable supplementation for the real thing. As [the *Associated Press* noted](), Colorado went [232 days without snow]() until December 10, 2021, which broke the state's record of most consecutive days without snowfall since 1880. And by the end of that month, only about an inch had accumulated — and by then, wildfires had begun swarming around the state. "We definitely have noticed a lack of snow everywhere," Taylor Fletcher, a Colorado-born and Utah-based Nordic combined Olympian, told the *AP.* "Places that, in December, November, used to be ‘winter wonderlands,’ we’re seeing them with less and less snow. And some years, they’re not getting any snow." While the researchers behind the *Current Issues in* *Tourism* study and some Olympians are optimistic that both host and participating countries can help turn back the tide of climate change by making and sticking to climate pledges, others still have darker outlooks. "The reality is that ship has sailed, unfortunately, in my opinion," Bode Miller, an American Olympian who won six medals for Alpine skiing, told the *AP*. "We haven’t made the requisite changes. We’ve kind of missed the window." There remains some hope, however, that presenting such a stark reality to the International Olympic Committee and the nations that participate in the games may make a difference. "Part of what we do papers like this for is to get the message out that we have a large influence," Daniel Scott, a University of Waterloo professor who co-authored the *Tourism* study, told the *AP.* "And so, if we act, (there is) hope of avoiding those worst-case scenarios." Hopefully, the IOC — and the rest of the world — will heed their warning. **READ MORE:** [Olympians worry as "Winter" disappears from Winter Games]() \[*The Associated Press*\] **More on the Olympics:** *[Paris Will Use Electric Flying Cars to Get Passengers to the Olympics]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()