All told, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are estimated to cause the loss of 5.5 square kilometers of snowpack and 34 million metric tons of glacial ice. That’s 40 percent more than the Olympics’ direct footprint, which is estimated to be about 930,000 metric tons. This means an additional loss of 3.2 square kilometers of snowpack and more than 20 million metric tons of glacial ice, adding to the 2.3 square kilometers of snow and 14 million metric tons of ice already impacted by the Games themselves. Put another way, this report claims that the Winter Olympics are contributing to a decline in the viability of the very sports they celebrate. France, which will host the 2030 Winter Olympics, has seen more than 180 resorts in the Alps shutter.