Organizers of traditional winter sports have voiced their opposition to the inclusion of events from summer federations in the Winter Olympics program. Suggestions to add sports like cyclocross and cross-country running, including indoor sports, to the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps and Nice have been met with resistance.
The Winter Olympic Federations group, representing sports such as skiing, skating, biathlon, curling, luge, bobsled, and skeleton, labeled these proposals as unwelcome, stating that such additions would dilute the unique brand and identity of the Olympic Winter Games.
A review of the Winter Games program and related matters was initiated by International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry following her assumption of office in June. With only 116 medal events in the winter program, there is room for expansion compared to the more crowded Summer Games.
The consideration of adding cyclocross and cross-country running, typically held on non-snow or ice terrains, would necessitate changes to the Olympic Charter rules, which currently mandate winter sports to be snow and ice-based. Ivo Ferriani, representing winter sports on the IOC executive board, emphasized the importance of evolving existing winter sports to attract wider participation and enhance the appeal of the Olympic Winter Games.
While influential figures in Olympic circles have supported the inclusion of cyclocross and cross-country running in the Winter Games, the proposal has faced skepticism from top officials in some winter sports federations. Max Cobb, the American secretary general of the International Biathlon Union, expressed reservations, highlighting the preference for additions to the Winter Games to come from within the realm of snow and ice sports.