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Primeros Olímpicos con solo nieve artificial infographic
El gráfico muestra como se produce la nieve artificial, con detalles de diferentes tipos de cristales de nieve.
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BEIJING 2022

Primeros Olímpicos con solo nieve artificial

By Phil Bainbridge

February 2, 2022 - February 20, 2022 - Por primera vez en Olímpicos de Invierno, los atletas competirán totalmente sobre nieve artificial – en una región con nevadas anualespromedio de solo 21cm y escasez de agua durante todo el año.

Beijing 2022 will not be the first Games to use artificial snow - they were introduced at Lake Placid in 1980, and the Olympics have become ever more dependent on it. Climate change is only going to exacerbate that with a recent study showing that of the 20 Winter Olympic venues since 1924, only 10 will have the 'climate suitability' and natural snowfall levels needed to host an event by 2050.

Around 220 million litres of water are expected to be used to generate the snow for the slopes and access roads of the Games, although organisers say this is just 2% of the requirements for the region. They also claim the snow cannons used are 20% more energy efficient than in previous years, and have trumpeted Beijing 2022 as the first Olympics to be run entirely on wind and solar energy.

While modern athletes will have competed at numerous venues on artificial snow, some have expressed concern that it may be slicker and more dangerous than natural powder.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 28/01/2022; STORY: Graphic News
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