The Winter Paralympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo have been hit by a spring thaw, with daytime temperatures reaching double figures Celsius and snow disappearing from the hillsides. Despite traditionally being a period of heavy snowfall, no snow has fallen since the Games began, forcing last-minute changes to the snowboard park course after training runs proved dangerous due to melted snow refreezing as ice.
British athlete Davy Zyw was taken to hospital with broken ribs after a crash during competition. In the men's seated downhill, 11 of 23 starters failed to finish in slushy conditions. US para snowboarder Amy Purdy voiced widespread frustration on TikTok, saying: “I don’t believe that the Paralympics should be happening right now.”
The Games have not been staged earlier than the first half of March this century, but climate data suggests such timing is becoming riskier. According to the US non-profit Climate Central, average March temperatures in Cortina have risen by 2.5C in the 50 years since the Winter Paralympics were first held. The group estimates that while 52 of 93 potential Winter Olympic sites would remain viable by 2050, only 22 would be viable in March.
The International Paralympic Committee acknowledged the impact of climate change but said moving the calendar was not straightforward. A spokesperson said: “Changing the winter sport calendar is easier said than done. If we were to move forward the Olympic Games, the Paralympics would surely follow, but those months are where the winter sport federations have their big competitions.” They also noted that media rights holders have major events, such as the climax of the NFL season, during that period.
Snowmaking has been used extensively, though less than predicted due to heavy falls before and during the Olympics. Still, 1.8 million cubic metres of snow were required for both events, compared with the 2.4 million forecast. With rain predicted for the closing weekend, that total is expected to rise.
