Cross-country skiers do not want to compete in excessively cold conditions

Cross-country skiing, biathlon and Nordic combined are the only Olympic endurance sports in which athletes compete in subfreezing temperatures. High ventilation in cold air strains and irritates the airways and may, over time, increase the risk of developing asthma. Under the rules of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Biathlon Union (IBU), the temperature limit for senior competitions is –20 °C across all disciplines. In Finland, the limit for juniors under 16 years of age is –15 °C, and the same limit applies in all age groups when the race distance is 20 km or more.

In a respiratory health study of skiers in spring 2019, we asked athletes about their views on temperature limits for competitions. A total of 351 skiers, ranging from 13-year-olds to senior-level competitors, responded. It should be noted that at the time of the study, the temperature limit for those under 16 was –17 °C; it has since been raised to –15 °C.

The questions were (freely translated from Finnish):

• “In cold weather, do you always compete if the competition is held?” (yes/no)
• “If you could decide, what would be an appropriate temperature limit for competitions in your age group?” (open field)

Of all skiers, 66.3% always agreed to ski in cold weather (n = 232). When skiers were divided by the rule-based age cut-off (16 years), 72.8% (n = 92) of those under 16 and 62.8% (n = 137) of those over 16 always agreed to compete. When athletes chose their own preferred temperature limit, only 13.3% (n = 29) of those over 16 considered –20 °C or colder to be appropriate. Among those under 16, 26.4% (n = 34) would have set the limit at –17 °C or colder. The mean preferred temperature limit was –16.8 °C for those over 16 and –15.1 °C for those under 16.

Since the study, the temperature limit for those under 16 has been raised to –15 °C, which matches the mean preferred limit in that age group. In the senior category, the majority of athletes preferred a warmer limit. The Scandinavia Cup has independently adopted a higher limit of –17 °C, most recently applied in Östersund on 17 December 2022 when the temperature was –18.6 °C at the time of the decision. Going forward, athletes’ opinions should be taken into account when setting new competition rules and temperature limits.

This article has not been peer-reviewed and is intended as a press release as part of the research project. Originally published in Finnish on 29 December 2022.