About the Winter Games in the southern hemisphere?

Question

Chile and New Zealand are candidates to get the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

But in the month of February, that is the middle of the summer for them. This means that, if one of them gets the games, it could be pushed back until April.

So, the question is, would you like to see one of them get the games and you are willing to wait until April? Or, do you not want to wait and you want the games in February, in a country in the northern hemisphere?

Answer 1

Well, the 2014 Winter Games will be held in Sochi, Russia, which is actually a sub-tropic location, winter or summer. But they are going to make that work somehow. All those places are surrounded by mountains, so I'm sure it would not be that difficult to have the Olympics there, even the winter ones.  

Answer 2

I have to agree with Justin on this one. The winter Olympics do not necessarily need to be held in February. They can be held later in the year if that is what is made necessary by the winter season in the host nation- after all, the summer games in Sidney were actually held in the Australian spring, which comes in September, and I seem to recall that no one objected to this at the time. This idea you have that the winter Games must be held in February has probably been brought about by watching too much American TV, which touts events like skiing and skating as winter events. The truth is that both of these events are actually held year round in different parts of the world, depending on the season- while the Olympics in Beijing were going on, there was World Cup Skiing being held in places like Chile, NZ, and in the rest of South America, because it's winter there. Last year's Pan American Games were held in August, which is late in the Brazilian winter, because it is cooler then than at other times of the year.

Granted, the Winter Games in Vancouver will be held in February- but that's just because of the season, not because it's mandatory they be held then.  

Answer 3

Why do the Winter Olympic Games have to be held in February?

As long as it is WINTER in the host nation, why worry about it? Events are not dictated by what happens in the Northern Hemisphere.

Answer 4

When someone asked this question on the Aussie website and made a case for a southern hemisphere games two weeks ago, hardly anyone took them seriously.

New Zealand, Chile and Argentina could all do it easily.  It would be a welcome change.

Answer 5

Got to figure the winter games started  where skiing & other winter sports originated.

Soutrhern hemisphere ...why not.esp if  I can watch live events  in anything close to my time zone in N East US

The olympic games are about the only sporting events I have any interest in so I'll wait if any location offers great natural venues for the outdoor events.

Olympics junkie.

Answer 6

I think it would be great to have an Olympic game held in the southern hemisphere.

Different conditions, change of the typical scenery and a chance to spotlight a different city and country, I'd have no problem with that.