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Defrosting the Games
The impact of climate change on the Winter Olympics & what it means for Australia
February 2013
The Olympic Winter Games kicks off this week in Sochi, just as the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change gears up for the March release of its latest report on climate change impacts and adaptation. This report
would build on one released in September 2013, which reconfirmed that the world is warming, and that glaciers, icesheets and sea-ice are retreating at a fast rate due to human activities.
The implications of warming winter months, decreased snow cover, and
ice extent are unmistakable for winter sport and the Winter Olympic
Games.
Average February daytime temperature of
Winter Games locations has steadily increased –
from 0.4°C at Games held in the 1920-50s, to
3.1°C in Games during the 1960-90s, and 7.8°C
in Games held in the 21st century.
How will climate change affect the Games?
Source: University of Waterloo
Since it commenced in 1924, the Olympic Winter Games has grown to be
a major cultural event, with events broadcast to over 200 countries
reaching a potential audience of 3.8 billion people.
While weather-risk management strategies (snow making and storage,
indoor venues, refrigerated tracks and ski jumps) have allowed some
sports to buffer themselves from unfavourable conditions, they only go so
far in helping the Games adapt to a warming world.
A recent study from the University of Waterloo found that only six out of
the 19 locations that have previously hosted the Winter Olympics would
have a climate suitable for hosting them again in the late-21st century.1
The former host cities are likely to be 4.4°C warmer by late-century
affecting daily minimum temperatures and the depth of snowpack.2
Among the cities that would no longer fit the climate bill is Vancouver, a
popular ski destination with major resorts like Whistler, as well as this
year’s host city, Sochi.
Australia’s own snow woes
Diminishing snowfall has been a growing problem for snow sports in Australia as well.
Satellite data compiled by UNSW Climate Change Research Centre in 2012 showed the maximum extent of
Australian snowfields has reduced by up to 39 per cent over the past decade, with the spring melt starting a month
earlier.3
Griffith University studies have shown that by 2020, the Australian Alps could lose around 60 per cent of their snow
cover.4 Other studies predict the ski slopes could be mostly bare of natural snow by 2050.5
With the loss of snow, Australia is set to lose:
• A snow tourism and services industry worth around $1.8 billion, which employs some 18,000 people.6
• Some 800,000 visitors to snow regions per year.
The decrease in snow cover also has a profound impact on spring and summer water supplies and critical
agriculture areas like the Murray-Darling Basin that depend on water from the Australian Alps catchments for around
The Climate Institute
Level 15/179 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000
+61 2 8239 6299
climateinstitute.org.au
 01
30 per cent of its inflow. That water – worth as much as $9.8 billion a year to the national economy – supports
around 2.1 million Australians and helps produce 45 per cent of Australia's irrigated agricultural production.7
Source: University of Waterloo
Australian training grounds
Despite being far from the traditional home of winter sports in Europe and North America, Australia has a remarkable
record at the Winter Olympic Games. In fact, Australia has competed in every Winter Games, bar one post-World
War II, since 1936. There have been over 200 Australian Winter Olympians, who have brought home five gold, one
silver, and three bronze medals.8
As snowfall in the Australian Alps becomes less reliable, many winter athletes will have to spend more time training
overseas. These include defending gold medallists Lydia Lassila9 (Freestyle skier who currently trains at Mt Bulter,
VIC) and Torah Bright10 (snowboarder who currently trains at Perisher, NSW).
For more information
Kristina Stefanova  Communications Director, The Climate Institute  0407 004 037
ENDNOTES
1
https://uwaterloo.ca/news/sites/ca.news/files/uploads/files/oly_winter_games_warmer_world_2014.pdf
https://uwaterloo.ca/news/sites/ca.news/files/uploads/files/oly_winter_games_warmer_world_2014.pdf
3
http://www.ccrc.unsw.edu.au/news/news/2012-07-03_decline_australian_snow.html
4
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/394170/20121015/snow-alpine-winter-ski-australia.htm#.UudLQvt9Lmj
5
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/bleak-future-predicted-of-alps-without-snow-20111009-1lft7.html#ixzz2rffNMyny &
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/102841/20111019-0008/www.climatechange.gov.au/publications/water/australian-alps.html
6
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bushtelegraph/alpine-tourism/5023908
2
7
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/102841/20111019-0008/www.climatechange.gov.au/publications/water/australian-alps.html
http://sochi2014.olympics.com.au/aus-team/aus-winter-history
9
http://sochi2014.olympics.com.au/athlete/lydia-lassila-ierodiaconou
10
http://sochi2014.olympics.com.au/athlete/torah-bright
8
The Climate Institute
Level 15/179 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000
+61 2 8239 6299
climateinstitute.org.au

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