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sports Diaranson 2 Februari 2022

Olympians worry as ‘Winter’ disappears from Winter Games

(AP) — Ski racers settling see it with the fires in Califor- locales — or even head in-
into the start gate for Al- nia, floods in Europe, higher doors. It’s harder to hold
pine World Cup events in snow levels, shorter winters, World Cup events, because
the Rocky Mountains in longer summers, droughts. too much wind or too much
early December squinted It runs the whole gamut. Ev- snow or too little snow leads
through sunshine that erywhere in the world is hav- to postponements or cancel-
carried the temperature ing some effect from it. And lations.
toward 50 degrees and there’s not really any turning It’s harder to find real snow
glanced down at a course back,” said Travis Ganong, a anywhere, so competition
covered with pristine 33-year-old from California increasingly comes on ma-
— and manufactured — going to China with the U.S. chine-made snow, which has
snow. ski team. its own deleterious effects on
the environment. While the
If they looked up and across “Selfishly, I hope winters are high speeds, steep inclines
the way, beyond the finish here in the future,” he said. and sharp angles make danger
line, they saw adjacent hills “But it’s not looking good.” a constant presence in Alpine
that were brown and barren skiing, no matter what sort
as can be, with nary a trace of Global warming is altering, of stuff is underfoot, injury- gases, only one of the previ-
powder or any indication that and endangering, his and causing crashes are increas- Alexis Pinturault, a three- ous 21 Winter Olympics sites
this was a setting for athletes other sports, perhaps per- ingly common in Nordic ski- time Olympic medalist for would be able to reliably pro-
who would be heading to the manently, and not just at the ing and biathlon because the France, recalls hitting the vide fair and safe conditions
Beijing Olympics that begin elite level. It affects folks who snow created by people pro- slopes at Tignes in his coun- by the end of this century.
Feb. 4. just want to ski or snowboard duces harder, slicker tracks. try’s Alps 20 years ago, but
for fun and those who make notes “it’s nearly impossible Researchers from Austria,
It is a troubling reality and — a living from places offering “We definitely have noticed to ski there anymore.” U.S. Canada and the U.S. deter-
given their own reliance on such activities. a lack of snow everywhere. aerials skier Winter Vinecki mined that even with emis-
the production of snow, con- Places that, in December, remembers an event in Be- sions on the lower end of the
tinent-hopping flights pow- And, well, everyone on the November, used to be ‘winter larus where, instead of a sea- scale, just three of 12 Euro-
ered by diesel fuel and other planet, of course, because this wonderlands,’ we’re seeing son-appropriate setting, she pean cities that have hosted
environment-unfriendly affects far more than sports, them with less and less snow. competed amid water pud- Winter Games would be a re-
offshoots of their careers — of course. And some years, they’re not dles. Explains Taylor Gold, liable site by the 2050s.
hard-to-reconcile push-and- getting any snow,” said Tay- an American snowboarder
pull for many of those who Just one example: In Decem- lor Fletcher, who grew up in who is part of Protect Our “Part of what we do papers
will be competing in Alpine ber, Colorado set a record Colorado, is based in Utah, Winters, an athlete-driven like this for is to get the mes-
skiing or freestyle skiing or that stood since the 1880s for and made his fourth Olympic environmental group: “The sage out that we have a large
snowboarding or Nordic most consecutive days with- team in Nordic combined. absolute ideal scenario would influence ... and so, if we act,
combined events or other out snow. After warm tem- be to have a halfpipe made (there is) hope of avoiding
outdoor sports that helped peratures and just an inch of Plenty of Winter Olympians entirely of natural snow, but those worst-case scenarios,”
put the disappearing “Win- snowfall by Dec. 30, wind- share similar observations. that’s just never possible any- said Daniel Scott, a professor
ter” in Winter Games. fueled wildfires destroyed more.” at the University of Waterloo
hundreds of homes in the “I’m no meteorologist,” Ita- who co-authored the study,
“ Climate change is here. It’s state. ly’s Marta Bassino, last sea- A study recently published “Climate change and the fu-
happening. We’re living in it son’s World Cup giant slalom in “Current Issues in Tour- ture of the Olympic Winter
right now. It’s not something It’s harder to find glaciers discipline winner, said with a ism” projected that without a Games: athlete and coach
that’s going to be in the dis- suitable for training, so ath- chuckle, “but I see it with my dramatic reduction of global perspectives.”
tant future. It’s here. And you letes need to search for new eyes.” emissions of greenhouse

South Korea qualifies for World Cup in Qatar

(AP) — South Korea qual- World Cup after beat- Tuesday. Second-half goals from Kim range after 31 minutes was
ified for a 10th successive ing Syria 2-0 in Dubai on Jin-su and Kwon Chang- created by Junya Ito. The
hoon gave the Koreans a Belgian-based winger then
comfortable victory over the added the second soon after
bottom team in Asia Group A the restart with a fierce shot
qualifying. from the edge of the area to
seal a first defeat for the Sau-
South Korea moved 11 points dis in the group.
clear of the third-placed
United Arab Emirates, which Saudi Arabia, which would
has just three games remain- have qualified for a sixth
ing. World Cup with a victory,
still led the group with 19
The top two teams from each points, one more than Japan.
of the two groups automati- Australia would move on to
cally qualify. The third-place 17 with a win over Oman
teams advance to playoffs. later Tuesday.

In Group B, a first-half goal Last-placed Vietnam, which
from Takumi Minamino set had previously lost all of its
Japan on the way to beating seven games in Group B, de-
Saudi Arabia 2-0 at Saitama feated China 3-1 in Hanoi.
Stadium and keeping the The defeat ended China’s
host on course for a seventh chances of qualifying for the
successive World Cup ap- World Cup for only the sec-
pearance. ond time.

Minamino’s goal from close