The governing bodies of traditional Winter Olympic sports have pushed back on the idea that the Games could include summer or indoor sports in future.
All aspects of both the Summer and Winter Games are under review including host locations and the programme of sporting events, under new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry, who was elected earlier this year.
As part of that “Fit for the Future” debate, designed to keep the Games relevant to modern audiences, new sports have been put forward.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe suggested cross-country running and cyclo-cross - which are winter sports, both primarily raced on muddy terrain - could be added to the Winter Olympics calendar in future. According to Coe the proposal also has support from David Lappartient, president of the Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling’s governing body.
However, the Winter Olympic Federations - a group consisting of the governing bodies of biathlon, bobsleigh and skeleton, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating, and skiing and snowboarding - opposed the suggestion.
“The Winter Olympic Federations are firm in our belief that such an approach would dilute the brand, heritage, and identity that make the Olympic Winter Games unique - a celebration of sports practiced on snow and ice, with distinct culture, athletes, and fields of play,” the group said on Wednesday.
“The future of the Olympic Winter Games is not better served by piecemeal proposals, such as the inclusion of Summer IFs’ [international federations] non-Olympic disciplines into the Olympic Winter Games.”
The IOC’s Olympic Charter rules require that sports in the Winter Games be contested on snow and ice, so any changes to the programme would necessitate the charter being re-written.
International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation president Ivo Ferriani, who sits on the IOC executive board, said the IOC’s “innovation should focus on evolving existing winter sports to attract broader participation and audiences.”
He cited ski mountaineering, a new addition to the Olympic programme for the 2026 Games, which he said is “born from authentic winter environments and emblematic of the continued development of winter sports”.
A decision on any new additions to the programme for the 2030 Games, which are to be held in the French Alps, is expected at the next IOC session before the Milan-Cortina Olympics next February.
Coe - who sits on the IOC’s new Olympic programme working group - also suggested indoor sports which currently form part of the Summer Games, like judo, could be moved to the Winter Olympics.
“I think there’s a good chance it’ll happen,” Coe said last month, referring to cyclo-cross and cross-country becoming part of the programme. “And I think it’s come at the right moment, because Kirsty is certainly prepared to think differently about the programme, and what could go out of the stadium, and that mix between winter and summer.”
On judo, he said: “There’s no reason why not. It’s going to take a different model. It’s going to take a different broadcast revenue split, all those things. But I think those are all now on the table, which is a good thing.”
