IOC may move Winter Olympic Games earlier

Future Winter Olympic Games could be held in January and the Winter Paralympic Games in February due to the effects of warmer temperatures, the International Olympic Committee said.

Every Winter Olympics medal has been awarded in February since the opening of the Innsbruck Winter Games on January 29, 1964, and moving the Games to January could disrupt the calendar of competitions and major World Cup events. It would also clash more directly with the schedules of the NFL and NBA, the Associated Press reported.

The IOC is currently reviewing issues related to the Olympic Games in the first year of Kirsty Coventry’s presidency, and changing the dates of the Winter edition is one of the options under consideration, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

“Perhaps we are also discussing bringing the Winter Olympic Games a bit earlier, holding them in January, because there are implications for the Paralympic Games as well,” Karl Stoss, the IOC member overseeing the sports program review, told reporters.

The Milan–Cortina Winter Paralympic Games are scheduled to take place from March 6 to 15.