Top alpine skiers have raised alarm over rapidly shrinking glaciers during the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Athletes including Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and Federica Brignone say the changes are visible and accelerating.
Italy has lost more than 200 square kilometres of glacier area since the late 1950s.
Many glaciers once seen from Cortina have shrunk to small ice patches high in the Dolomites.
Major ice now survives mainly on the Marmolada, which is also melting quickly.
Skiers rely on glaciers for reliable early-season training.
Vonn said most of the glaciers she used as a child have disappeared.
Shiffrin called the crisis deeply personal because snow and ice are central to the sport.
Scientists report a continuous and faster decline in glacier size and volume in recent decades.
The loss increases mountain hazards, reduces water supplies and contributes to sea-level rise.
Some smaller glaciers near Cortina no longer meet the minimum size for global monitoring projects.
The Marmolada glacier has halved in 25 years and could largely vanish by 2034 if warming reaches 2.7°C.
Limiting warming to 1.5°C could preserve about 100 Alpine glaciers and extend Marmolada’s lifespan.
Athletes say the impact is already changing training conditions.
Crevasses, exposed rock and flowing water now make some glacier routes unusable.
Several competitors urged faster cuts in fossil-fuel emissions and stronger environmental action.
They warned that climate change could drastically reduce future Winter Olympic host locations.
Many said winter sport must play a leading role in protecting the mountain environment.
