Olympics
There has been a recent discussion about including warm-weather sports like cross-country running, judo, and cyclocross in the Winter Olympics. But despite this effort, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the Winter Olympics will be sticking with its traditional sports in the near future.
Sebastian Coe, IOC member and the president of World Athletics, spearheaded the proposal to include these summer-related sports. In an interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper, Coe spoke about a provisional plan to include cross-country running and cyclocross in the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. Coe has long been a proponent of including cross-country running in the Olympics, which has not been on the Olympic slate since the 1924 Games in Paris.
Coe also noted that including a track and field event would give Africa a “proper presence in the Winter Olympics.” Only eight African nations competed in the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, whereas over 30 competed in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Despite Coe’s optimism surrounding the proposal, IOC President Kirsty Coventry and other IOC leaders reportedly remain committed to the Olympic Charter. The charter states that “only those sports which are practiced on snow or ice are considered as winter sports.”
Winter sports federations did not take kindly to the proposed additions, releasing a statement describing the proposed additions as “piecemeal.” They claimed this approach would “dilute the brand, heritage, and identity that make the Olympic Winter Games unique.” This statement was supported by federations representing skiing, snowboarding, hockey, luge, skating, biathlon, and other winter sports.
This opposition is not rooted solely in philosophy. Financial concerns also play a major role, as adding new sports changes how Olympic revenues are distributed among the federations.
Adding the proposed sports would make World Athletics and the cycling federation eligible to share in the revenues earned from the sale of broadcasting rights. This is something that winter sports federations are not interested in, fearing it would spread revenues thinner and reduce the financial support currently available, according to The Sports Examiner‘s Rich Pereman.
The debate comes at a significant moment for future Winter Olympic Games. While the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps will not feature summer sports, the proposal has still created uncertainty surrounding the direction of future Winter Olympics.
While there may be no summer sports in the Winter Olympics in the immediate future, this proposal demonstrates growing tension surrounding the Olympics. The conflict between modernizing the Winter Olympics while maintaining its tradition is something organizers have yet to resolve. But for now, the Winter Olympics will be sticking with its traditional sports.
