On Feb. 6, the 2026 Winter Olympic will kick off in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
We’re excited. And also frightened.
Every site of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games has warmed since 1950. And mountains are warming 25 to 50 per cent faster than the global average.
By 2050, the number of locations that could potentially host a Winter Games will shrink by 44 per cent — from 93 possible locations to 52. For an event that depends on reliable winter conditions for safety, fairness and performance, reducing the Games’ climate and environmental impact is paramount for its very existence.
While sustainability has been a part of the planning of the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina, there hasn’t been enough. These games:
+ Have events that span 15 000 square kilometres — an area larger than the country of Montenegro — requiring travel across vast distances.
+ Expanded road traffic instead of sustainable transport options.
+ Constructed single-use venues despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) advising against it.
All of this has been done at the cost of the local Alpine communities and fragile Alpine ecosystems.
POW’s advocacy for a better Winter Games
While many decisions for these games were made years ago, POW Italy has been working relentlessly on the ground to build coalitions and ensure that sustainability and citizen involvement were still on organizers minds. Some highlights include:
+ Published a position paper, highlighting critical issues such as lack of transparency, environmental concerns, and insufficient community involvement.
+ Used Walkscapes, a field exploration method, to understand the critical issues that the local communities in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Anterselva experienced as a result of the Games: poor citizen engagement, benefits concentrated in a select few, and environmental and social impacts on fragile territories. These testimonies gave substance to the position paper, grounding it in the will and concerns of local communities.
+ Joined the Open Olympics Network, a grassroots community movement concerned with the games, and published a participatory monitoring report.
We now know what can be improved for the next Winter Games — and POW is already looking ahead.
Click on the image to explore POW Italy and POW France's work in more detail.
The future of the Winter Games
Athletes have rules they must follow or face consequences — disqualifications, bans or fines. We’d like to see organizers, governing bodies, federations, sponsors and policymakers taking on the same responsibility and accountability it expects of its athletes.
The future of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games relies on winter. Without swift climate action, the Winter Games — and the sports we love — are at risk of becoming relics of the past.
Savoie, France — we’re looking at you to create a blueprint for more sustainable Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2030. And POW France has already been pushing for more responsible Winter Games for years:
+ Proposed 17 measures for a more sustainable Olympics and Paralympic Games, in collaboration with scientists and other associations.
+ Engaging with policymakers, including the President’s Olympic Games advisors and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee.
+ Delivered results of a study that outlines recommendations from citizens to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for the Savoie Winter Games. This was the first time that discussions were held between the IOC, NOC and Savoie citizens.
Protect Our Winters has consistently — and will continue to — push for meaningful climate action. We will continue calling on event organizers and leaders to align their partnerships and policies with climate science and the urgent need to protect winter sports for future generations.
How you can help today
A month ago, POW Norway athlete Nikolai Schirmer launched the campaign Ski Fossil Free. Schirmer, other elite winter athletes, companies and organizations, including Protect Our Winters, are calling on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the IOC to examine consequences of sponsorships from fossil fuel companies on our winter sports.
On Feb. 4, 2026, Schirmer, a freeride skier, submitted the petition with 21 506 signatures to the IOC.
“This is the way we make change happen. Actionable demands backed by voices of the community,” said Schirmer in an Instagram story.
You can still sign the petition — it takes less than a minute to complete.
Want to learn more?
Athletes call for climate adaptation fightback ahead of COP30 via Reuters
POW calls on IOC to democratise Games via Inside the Games
The Italian Winter Olympics' environmental scorecard via The European Correspondent
Image: © Beatrice Citterio / Protect Our Winters Italy; Graphics: © Protect Our Winters Canada
