Proposals to incorporate summer time sports activities within the Winter Olympics would “dilute” the Video games, in line with the physique which represents current disciplines.
The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) has established working teams to evaluation the elements of each the summer time and winter Video games as a part of its ‘Match For The Future’, exterior session underneath new president Kirsty Coventry.
World Athletics chief Lord Coe beforehand indicated cross-country working and cyclo-cross may very well be added to the programme for the Winter Olympics.
Nevertheless, Winter Olympic Federations secretary common Colin Grahamslaw advised BBC Sport there are reservations about introducing sports activities that are “visually” summer time sports activities.
“We expect the Winter Video games has a very good sturdy visible identification of snow and ice. And we predict that’s distinctive and is price preserving,” Grahamslaw mentioned.
“I feel the considerations are, by bringing in some summer time sports activities that perhaps occur within the winter however not on snow and ice, you dilute that model.
“You dilute that identification. And it is not visually very totally different from what you possibly can see on the summer time Video games.”
BBC Sport has approached the IOC for remark.
The Olympics Constitution presently states that “solely these sports activities that are practised on snow or ice are thought-about as winter sports activities”.
In 2023, the IOC mentioned analysis confirmed solely 10 international locations will be capable of host snow sports activities by 2040 due to the affect of local weather change, and accepted “a must adapt the Olympic Winter Video games”.
Grahamslaw, who can be secretary of the World Curling Federation, mentioned if there was a need from the IOC to extend the variety of sports activities within the Winter Olympics then the Winter Olympic Federations needs to be consulted.
The Winter Olympic Federations collectively represents the governing our bodies of biathlon, bobsleigh and skeleton, ice hockey, luge, skating, ski and snowboard and curling.
“If there’s capability throughout the Winter video games for extra sports activities, extra motion, extra dynamics, then we are able to present that from throughout the snow and ice neighborhood,” the Briton added.
“You are going to see ski mountaineering for the primary time in Milan Cortina 2026, as a part of the Winter Olympic Video games. That is a brand new dynamic sport that I feel individuals can get behind and luxuriate in.
“If you happen to have a look at ice hockey, they’ve a shortened model of three on three.”
The Winter Olympic Federations mentioned in a press release earlier this week it was “absolutely dedicated” to “innovation, universality, and strengthening the particular and clearly differentiated enchantment” of the Olympic Winter Video games.
Nevertheless, they mentioned the Video games are “not higher served by piecemeal proposals” such because the inclusion of summer time disciplines.
