Staging future Winter Games as early as January and the Paralympic Winter Games in February is a possibility because of the effects of warmer temperatures, the International Olympic Committee said Wednesday.
Every Winter Games medal was been won in February since the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics opened Jan. 29, and moving to January would likely disrupt scheduling of storied World Cup races and events. It also would more directly clash with NFL and NBA schedules.
The IOC is reviewing Olympic Games issues in the first year of Kirsty Coventry's presidency, and changing the Winter Games dates is an option.
"Maybe we are also discussing to bring the Winter Olympics a little bit earlier," Karl Stoss, the IOC member overseeing the sports program review, told reporters. "To do it in January because it has an implication for the Paralympics as well."
The Milan Cortina Paralympic Winter Games will be held March 6-15.
The IOC has long acknowledged under Coventry's predecessor Thomas Bach that climate change is a challenge for finding future hosts and organizing competitions.
"[March] is very late because the sun is strong enough to melt the snow," said Stoss, whose home country Austria is a traditional power in Alpine skiing and ski jumping. "Maybe the Paralympics will be in February and the other edition will be in January. That would also be a part of our discussion."
Also on Wednesday, Norwegian skier Nikolai Schirmer handed the IOC a petition signed by more than 21,000 people and professional athletes who want to stop fossil fuel companies from sponsoring winter sports.
Schirmer delivered the "Ski Fossil Free" petition to the IOC's head of sustainability, Julie Duffus, at a Milan hotel.
"It seems like the Olympics aren't ready to be the positive force for change that they have the potential to be," Schirmer told The Associated Press. "So I just hope this can be a little nudge in the right direction, but we will see."
The petition asks the IOC and International Ski and Snowboard Federation to publish a report evaluating the appropriateness of fossil fuel marketing before next season.
"The show goes on while the things you depend on to do your job -- winter -- is disappearing in front of your very eyes," he said. "Not dealing with the climate crisis and not having skiing be a force for change just felt insane. We're on the front lines."
Burning fossil fuels is the largest contributor to global climate change by far. As the Earth warms at a record rate, winters are shorter and milder and there is less snow globally, creating clear challenges for winter sports that depend on cold, snowy conditions. Researchers say the list of locales that could reliably host a Winter Games will shrink substantially in the coming years.
The IOC told the AP in a statement that climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing sports and society. It didn't say whether it will review fossil fuel marketing, as demanded by the petition.
The 100-plus IOC members should meet again in June to make decisions about the Olympic reviews in a program called "Fit For The Future" and whether to add new sports and events to the 2030 French Alps Winter Games.
The French Alps edition is expected to run Feb. 1-17 and the 2034 Utah Winter Games from Feb. 10-26.