Leading alpine skiers have raised alarm over rapidly shrinking glaciers during the Winter Games in Cortina.
Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin said many training glaciers from their youth have almost disappeared.
They warned that warming temperatures threaten the future of competitive skiing.
Italy has lost more than 200 square kilometres of glacier area since the late 1950s.
Scientists report that the decline has accelerated in the past two decades.
Glaciers near Cortina have shrunk dramatically, with only small ice patches remaining.
The Marmolada glacier, the largest in the Dolomites, is also melting quickly.
Athletes say they see the changes firsthand each season.
Crevasses, exposed rock and flowing water now make some glacier training sites unusable.
Snow cover arrives later in autumn and disappears earlier in spring.
Italian champion Federica Brignone said her concern goes beyond sport to the planet’s future.
Other competitors echoed calls for action to cut emissions and protect winter environments.
Researchers warn that glacier loss threatens water supplies, increases mountain hazards and raises sea levels.
If global warming is limited to 1.5°C, dozens of Alpine glaciers could survive longer.
Higher temperature scenarios would see many vanish within decades.
More than 6.5 trillion tonnes of ice have been lost worldwide since 2000.
Athletes say the choices made this decade will decide whether their sport – and the glaciers it depends on – can endure.
