Leading Alpine skiers have raised alarm over accelerating glacier loss during the Winter Olympics in Cortina.
Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin said many glaciers they trained on have largely disappeared.
They warned that warming temperatures threaten the future of their sport.
Italy has lost more than 200 square kilometres of glacier area since the late 1950s.
Scientists report a continuous and accelerating decline in ice volume.
Glaciers near Cortina have shrunk dramatically, with some now reduced to small patches.
Federica Brignone said the retreat is visible every year at higher elevations.
She stressed that the issue goes beyond skiing and concerns the planet’s future.
Glaciers provide reliable training snow for elite athletes.
Rising temperatures are exposing rocks, crevasses and meltwater, making training difficult.
Some traditional early-season venues now lack enough snow.
The Marmolada glacier has already lost half its volume in 25 years.
Researchers say it could mostly disappear by 2034 if warming reaches 2.7°C.
Limiting warming to 1.5°C could preserve more Alpine glaciers for longer.
Globally, more than 6.5 trillion tonnes of ice has vanished since 2000.
The loss threatens water supplies, increases mountain hazards and reduces future Winter Olympic host sites.
Athletes say their close contact with the mountains gives them a clear view of the changes.
They are calling for faster emissions cuts and stronger climate action to protect winter sport and alpine ecosystems.
