Six Countries That Could Enter For First Time in 2030

With the curtain having officially fallen on the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, all eyes are turning to the 2030 French Alps. And just when you thought the next Winter Olympics couldn’t get any more unconventional, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is preparing to rip up the rule book once again.

In a move that could see the Winter Games drastically shift away from traditional snow and ice, a radical new proposal is on the table to introduce cross-country running and cyclo-cross, as well as a few other new events, to the 2030 schedule.

If approved, this unprecedented shake-up wouldn’t just change the sports we watch on our screens; it could open the door for six brand-new countries to make their historic Winter Olympic debuts.

Huge Changes Potentially Coming to Winter Olympics in 2030

For nearly a century, the Winter Olympics have strictly been the domain of athletes sliding on snow or gliding on ice. But World Athletics president Seb Coe is determined to change that.

Coe, alongside UCI president David Lappartient, is pushing heavily for cross-country running and cyclo-cross to share a purpose-built course in the French Alps in 2030. While they might not be traditional winter sports, the global cross-country season takes place between October and March, fitting perfectly into the Winter Olympic window.

The driving force behind this radical proposal is about giving an entire continent a proper seat at the Winter Olympic Games table.

Historically, the Winter Olympics have been completely dominated by Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. At the recently concluded Milano Cortina 2026 Games, the entire continent of Africa sent just 15 athletes, and that was actually their highest amount ever.

New Countries Could Enter 2030 Winter Olympics

As Coe pointed out in recent interviews, the inclusion of endurance-based running and cycling events would finally give Africa a genuine, competitive presence at the Winter Games.

If the IOC officially gives the green light, it could trigger a historic influx of new nations.

Countries with world-class pedigree in the World Athletics Cross Country Tour would suddenly find themselves with a golden ticket to the Winter Olympics. Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, and Botswana, nations that have never sent a single athlete to the Winter Games, could all make their historic debuts in France. Bahrain is also heavily tipped to secure its first-ever Winter Olympic entry if the running events are approved.

Adding these sports will require a variation in the Olympic Charter, but under the leadership of newly elected IOC president Kirsty Coventry, there is a massive appetite to modernise the Games and blur the lines between summer and winter disciplines.

With 2030 already set to feature ice events on the beaches of Nice and speed skating outsourced to another country entirely, introducing mud-spattered runners and cyclists to the Winter Olympics suddenly doesn’t seem so crazy.

If this vote passes, the Winter Olympics will never look the same again.