In an Olympic first, climate variability has forced the Winter Games to be virtually 100% reliant on artificial snow — part of a trend that is taking place across winter sports venues around the world
It would be hard to hold a conversation over the deafening sound of the snow machines preparing the Olympic venues northwest of Beijing. They are loud and they are everywhere, blowing snow across what will be this month's most-watched slopes.
It is almost beautiful -- except that the venues are surrounded by an endless brown, dry landscape completely devoid of snow. An Olympics like no other: Can sports overcome the controversy of Beijing 2022?In an Olympic first, though not an achievement to boast about, climate variability has forced the Winter Games to be virtually 100% reliant on artificial snow -- part of a trend that is taking place across winter sports venues around the world.
Winter sports threatened by climate crisis 01:42"We are very proud to say that we are the only company providing the snow-making systems for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics," Michael Mayr, TechnoAlpin Asia area manager, told CNN. Mayr said it is the first time a single company has been tasked with providing all the snow for the Winter Games. But there's a critical component to making snow that some of the Beijing sites also lack: temperatures cold enough to freeze water.
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