150 scientists warn Catalonia’s Winter Olympics proposal is “unsustainable”

More than 150 scientists from Catalan universities and research centers have signed a manifesto (in Catalan) against the proposal to host the 2030 Winter Olympics in Barcelona and the Pyrenees. In the manifesto, they provide scientific data concluding that an eventual candidacy would be “unacceptable” in the current context of “systemic crisis: climate, energy, socio-health and economics.”

The researchers say “there are no green options” to host an event like this and that studies on past Games show that they are “environmentally, economically and socially unsustainable.” “In the case of the Pyrenees, the proposal is highly unsustainable,” archaeologist Ermengol Gassiot stated in the presentation of their manifesto on Thursday.

Hosting the Winter Olympic Games in 2030 is an idea that the Catalan government and business associations are backing, but the plan has yet to be finalised and a formal bid yet to be submitted. The administration says they will hold a consultation with residents in the Pyrenees, letting the population from six counties where events would be held vote on whether or not they want the global event to arrive on their doorstep.

Open debate 

The idea of hosting a Winter Olympics has been discussed in Catalonia for a long time. In fact, the 2022 Games were first targeted all the way back in 2010, but no consensus was reached. Business groups and sporting organizations are pushing for the bid to take place, while political groups are largely mixed on the issue.

Yet, backers of the proposal have considerable opposition from social groups. The platform Stop Olympic Games (in Catalan, ‘Stop Jocs Olímpics’, often shortened to ‘Stop JJOO’), a platform made up of Pyrenees residents and environmentalists, have actively rejected the idea. Stop JJOO have even received the backing of one of the most famous sportspeople in Catalonia, the celebrated trail runner and mountaineer Kilian Jornet.