Organizers of traditional winter sports have expressed their opposition to the idea of including events from summer federations in the Winter Olympics program. Suggestions have been made for cyclocross, cross-country running, and even indoor sports to be added to the 2030 Winter Games hosted in the French Alps and Nice. However, the Winter Olympic Federations group of governing bodies has rejected these proposals, calling them “piecemeal” and stating that such additions would dilute the unique brand, heritage, and identity of the Olympic Winter Games as a celebration of snow and ice sports.
The Winter Olympic Federations, representing sports such as skiing, skating, biathlon, curling, luge, bobsled, and skeleton, are adamant that the Winter Games should focus on sports practiced on snow and ice, maintaining their distinct culture, athletes, and playing fields. International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry initiated a review of the Winter Games program and related matters upon assuming office in June.
With the Winter Games currently featuring 116 medal events, there is room for expansion compared to the more crowded Summer Games, which had 329 events in Paris last year. Adding cyclocross and cross-country running, which traditionally take place on mud, would require amendments to the IOC’s Olympic Charter rules mandating that Winter Games sports be conducted on snow and ice.
Ivo Ferriani, representing winter sports on the IOC executive board as the president of the bobsled and skeleton federation, emphasized that innovation should aim to enhance existing winter sports to attract wider participation and audiences, thereby increasing the appeal of the Olympic Winter Games. He cited the inclusion of ski mountaineering, or skimo, in the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games as an example of this approach.
Despite having influential supporters within Olympic circles like the presidents of the cycling and track and field governing bodies, the proposal for cyclocross and cross-country running did not sway the top official at the International Biathlon Union. Max Cobb, the American secretary general of the IBU, expressed skepticism, pointing out that if these sports were highly popular, they would already be part of the Summer Games. He emphasized that any additions to the Winter Games should come from the “family of snow and ice sports,” aligning with the sentiments of other winter sports representatives.