Trail Running in the 2030 Winter Olympics. By Egon Theiner.  Still waters run deep, as the saying goes, and while the discussion about whether trail running could achieve Olympic status in Brisbane in 2032 keeps resurfacing, information is rather scarce. However, things could now move faster than commonly assumed.

An advisory panel of World Athletics, which includes representatives from the international governing bodies ITRA, IAU, and WMRA, is reportedly working on a proposal for the International Olympic Committee that—simply put—envisions merging cross-country and trail running and giving this discipline a global platform at the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.

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TRAIL RUNNING IN THE 2030 WINTER OLYMPICS.

While there are indeed differences between cross-country and trail running, starting with running shoes, these are not considered insurmountable. And of course, there are a whole host of other hurdles to overcome.

The regulations of the Winter Olympics would likely need to be adapted to include sports that aren’t held on snow or ice.

The international winter sports federations certainly wouldn’t be pleased if other federations pushed their way into the Winter Games program, because the pie of TV revenue would shrink. Moreover, if World Athletics manages to get trail running into the Winter Games, it could spark interest from other federations (cycling? handball? fencing?).

The question is what format to use, but first, what to call it. If the new Olympic sport is called “Cross Country” (which would likely be the preference of World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe), then the door is doubly closed for trail running: On the one hand, there would be no visibility on the world’s biggest sporting stage, and on the other hand, all further Olympic ambitions would be dead – because World Athletics couldn’t (and perhaps wouldn’t even want to) add another new, and similar, discipline to the program in 2032 after 2030.

TRAIL RUNNING IN THE 2030 WINTER OLYMPICS: UPSIDES.

However, there are also points in favor of including trail running in the 2030 Games program.

The Summer Games program is already overflowing; it makes sense to integrate a new sport, if possible, into the Winter edition. Trail running would generate even greater global attention for the Winter Games; the sport is more international than alpine skiing or ice hockey, and there would even be the possibility of African Winter Olympic champions. And let’s not forget: The current IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, comes from Africa, from Zimbabwe.

It’s undeniable that suitable terrain for a challenging trail run could easily be found in the French Alps – the integration of Chamonix, the trail running capital, into the Games concept is pure speculation. Whether the race is a Mountain Classic, a Trail Short, or something else entirely – an “Olympic Trail” would be a welcome addition to the trail running scene, which is currently divided into various distances, and would provide a clear framework (just like in triathlon).

Trail running is a name the industry is profiting from. Or have you ever asked for cross-country shoes in your local running shop?

As a rule, the sports to be included in the Olympic Games are announced four years in advance, so those for 2030 were announced before the 2026 Games. These begin on February 6th, and who knows – perhaps trail running will be an Olympic sport in less than two months.

Egon Theiner

Press office Manager

WMTRC Innsbruck 2023.

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