The use of 'artificial snow' in the Winter Olympics has increased rapidly → "Let's hold a cycle only where natural snow is possible" [Lee Jong-sung's sports culture & industry]

*This content was translated by AI.

Among global sporting events, the Winter Olympics is by far the most criticized competition in the last 20 years. This is because artificial snow is being produced at astronomical costs in a global climate crisis.

The most serious issue of the recent Winter Olympics is the increased rate of artificial snow use. Artificial snow was used 80% in the snow sports course at the 2014 Sochi Games and increased to 90% in Pyeongchang 2018. In the Beijing Winter Olympics four years ago, virtually 100% of artificial snow was used.

The fundamental reason for the increase in the use of artificial snow is global warming. As winter temperatures rose, it was difficult to meet the amount of snow required for competitions such as skiing.

The average temperature at the venue of the Winter Olympics in the 1920s and 50s was 0.4 degrees Celsius, but the average temperature during the 2022 Beijing Games exceeded 6 degrees Celsius.

If the rate of artificial snow use increases, the cost of operating the competition at the venue of the Winter Olympics will inevitably increase. While suddenly drawing a lot of water and creating artificial snow with a snowplow, the ecosystem in the nearby area is severely damaged.

For this reason, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) decided to host the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. In Cortina d'Ampezzo, which already held the 1956 Winter Olympics, the fact that snow events can be held with 100% natural snow was an important part of the IOC's decision to host the event.

However, contrary to the IOC's expectations, there is a growing possibility that the 2026 Winter Olympics, where the opening ceremony will be held on February 6 (local time), will use a lot of artificial theories. This is because the average temperature of the Cortina d'Amphilis was predicted to be 4.2 degrees during the Winter Olympics.

Johan Eliash, 64, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), made a surprise remark as temperatures in Cortina d'Ampezzo have already risen compared to previous years since December last year.

According to foreign media such as 'Reuters' on December 22 last year, President Eliash insisted that the future Winter Olympics should be held in a circular manner in an area where the games can be played on natural snow as much as possible. In short, it means that the competition should be held only in places where there is enough snow in winter and the stadium infrastructure is already well established.

He evaluated the increase in the rate of artificial snow use due to global warming and the resulting increase in the operating cost of the competition as difficult tasks for the Winter Olympics host. This is also all the more so considering the cost of the venue that goes into building a stadium that is virtually difficult to use effectively after the Winter Olympics.

Bormio, which currently has a ski downhill course for the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, has no snow at all, according to a Reuters report. For this reason, Bormio is in a situation where artificial snow must be made at night for the Winter Olympics and the downhill course must be maintained. Due to the high temperature during the day, it is virtually impossible to make artificial snow. Considering the lack of financial support from the central government of Italy, the organizing committee of the tournament, which must even utilize artificial theory, is facing a situation that makes it worse.

FIS President Eliash, who also serves as a member of Sweden's IOC, says it is desirable to set up a host pool in advance at a time when global warming further increases the cost of hosting the Winter Olympics. This means that it is more urgent than ever to come up with a plan to host the Winter Olympics while solving environmental and economic problems caused by the use of artificial snow.

The Winter Olympics, where the first competition was held in Chamonix, France in 1924, was a major turning point with President Eliash's remarks.

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*This content was translated by AI.