The Winter Paralympics in Milano Cortina have now come to an end, but while hosting about 665 athletes across six sports, they faced a few weather-related issues.
Weather concerns in both the Paralympics and Olympics are nothing new. Due to climate change, winter climates are warming, becoming more unpredictable with unseasonably warm weather, cold snaps, and extreme precipitation.
With these changes in our weather, worries have been rising over the Winter Olympics for years, as these issues are resulting in even less reliable hosts than in the past. Climate change is not keeping the weather consistently cold enough for the outdoor Olympic and Paralympic events.
Milano Cortina had to rely heavily on human-made snow due to uncertainty about whether there would be enough for the participating athletes. The previous games in Beijing 2022 even had to rely completely on artificial snow.
Concerns about the weather at the Olympics become even clearer during the Paralympics, which experience worse weather because they’re held in the first month of spring, after the Olympics.
The Winter Paralympics always begin in March, whereas the Olympics begin in February. It’s the reason why they’re called the “Para”lympics. They’re parallel to the Olympics, happening about two weeks later in both the summer and winter editions.
However, this concept is leaving the Paralympics with concerningly warm temperatures for winter sports. Especially in a Mediterranean country like in 2026, March’s spring weather is not up to standard for outdoor winter sports.
Paralympians in Milano Cortina were battling weather that wasn’t allowing them to perform at their best. Slush, rather than snow, can also create unsafe conditions. Warmer weather can make snow too soft, reducing an athlete’s control, and slush can cause equipment such as skis to get stuck and trip athletes.
Athletes in Milano Cortina cited many of those same issues, as well as heat-related issues. They were seen wearing short sleeves and shorts to prevent overheating and hyperventilating due to the temperatures, as stated by the UK’s Scott Meenagh.
The next Winter Paralympics will be held in the French Alps in 2030 and in Utah in 2034. Milano Cortina’s unseasonably warm weather should call for the rethinking of the Paralympic schedule. Is it possible to move the games to two weeks before the Olympics? Should both competitions be moved earlier together?
Only the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees can make these decisions, but we, as viewers, should continue advocating for the safety of our athletes. Athletes themselves, such as Canada’s Kurt Oatway and USA’s Amy Purdy, have been calling for the games to be moved earlier. After all their hard work, athletes at the national stage shouldn’t have to fight for their medals in slush.