According to a report published by researchers from the English University of Loughborough, the Olympic Games and winter sports in general would be threatened by global warming. The lack of precipitation will not in any case prevent the start of the Beijing Olympics on February 4, but with tracks made of artificial snow.
With our correspondent in Beijing, Stephane Lagarde
Snow guns. According to this british report, nearly 300 snow cannons will bombard the Olympic slopes of Yanqing and Zhangjiakou northwest of the Chinese capital during the winter games which will begin on February 4. Because if it has snowed in the region in recent days, such as in Sochi in Russia or Pyeongchang in South Korea, natural snow is not enough.
” The winter games could not be done without artificial snow, recalls Gan Yiwei, Greenpeace China activist. But what we need to pay attention to is the source of the water. This comes from mountain reservoirs created by the government and from the collection of surface water. It does not affect the water table. No matter the snow, artificial or natural, what matters is that it is durable. »
The equivalent of 800 Olympic swimming pools
Water is a sensitive subject in China, and Greenpeace like other non-governmental organizations must regularly obtain the approval of the Chinese authorities to renew their license. The ecological organization also evokes the establishment of an efficient water recycling system for these games which could be exported elsewhere.
” From a German point of view and from an environmental point of view, believes Lhoma, a German designer of sports equipment, it is a problem that most of the snow is artificial. But for the competition, the snow of the Beijing games is excellent. »
Competitions to the sound of the snow cannon, games like “Shadocks” forced to pump so much and more, to roll out the white carpet under the spatulas and quarters of the athletes. According to the NGO China Water Risk, the equivalent of 800 Olympic swimming pools will be needed to create the artificial snow for these 2022 Winter Games. And while waiting for the air-conditioned stadiums of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.