Innovation made the 2022 Winter Games possible in Beijing, but snowmaking has limits in a warming climate.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Winter olympics
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As temperatures warm, ski and snowboard resorts are investing more in snowmaking and seeing their seasons shrink. Those costs roll down to customers in an already expensive sport.
From projecting onto athletes to aesthetic appreciation, spectators get a surprising amount out of watching other people play sports.
In Beijing’s climate, you could coat a Sydney apartment in a few inches of snow with the same energy the air conditioning would use in an hour.
Plus, the Beijing Winter Olympics are using 100% artificial snow: what does that mean for the environment, and the athletes? Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
Executing the perfect manoeuvre on the slopes requires foresight, technical skill and being able to think on the go.
There’s very little snow in Africa but, even so, since 1984 at least one African nation has competed at each winter Olympics and African athletes have been trailblazers.
China is at a crossroads: it is retreating from the world’s major economies at the very moment it arguably needs to open up.
An analysis of 21 former Winter Olympic venues found that only one of them would be suitable and offer safe racing conditions for athletes if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
Can the Olympic industry survive the damage that calls for a Winter Olympics boycott are doing to its brand?
The International Olympic Committee’s position is clear. Human rights be damned. Refugees be damned. The Games must go on. The rest is window dressing.
The Olympics, and all “mega sports,” are inevitably embedded in the political contexts of their times. To dismiss or bypass the political issues that arise seems naïve at best.
Beijing 2022 is on track to be the most politically-charged games ever.
Olympians and Paralympians can uplift the voices of Celil’s family and supporters by calling for his release over the next four months. Academics, journalists and activists should join in solidarity.
Throughout the modern Olympic period, the host nation has had a home advantage. But crowds are not the only factor
Calgary is the latest city to reject bidding for the Olympics. A lack of a vision for the city and a council concerned with short-term political gains explain why an Olympic plebiscite was defeated.
Doping controversy around British cycling and athletics is the latest sign that sports authorities need to do something drastic.
North Korea clearly understands that going straight into high-level negotiations isn’t always the way to make a breakthrough.
The science behind the suits that gave Britain’s medal-winning athletes a crucial speed boost.
Techniques and technology can help athletes perform at their best even in freezing temperatures.
Top contributors
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Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy, SKEMA Business School
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Assistant Professor, Kinesiology, Western University
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Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic Research Network, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University
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Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
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Reader in International Journalism, City, University of London
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Associate Dean Research, Glasgow School for Business and Society, Glasgow Caledonian University
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Associate Professor in Sociology, University of Sydney
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Professor Emerita of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education, University of Toronto
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honorary Professor, The University of Melbourne
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Professorial Research Fellow, Victoria University
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Associate Professor, The University of Queensland
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Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Business, UNSW-Canberra, UNSW Sydney
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Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Southampton
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Professor of Sports Law, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
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Senior Lecturer in Sport and Fitness, The Open University
