Viral video of Summer Olympics ‘bid’ by Arctic village highlights climate change in the far north
- Finnish village Salla’s spoof video pitch for the 2032 Summer Olympics warns how snowy and icy landscapes could be used for beach volleyball and surfing by then
- The stunt urges people to help slow global warming, from recycling to volunteering
A snow-covered Arctic village in Finland has struck a viral hit with a fake bid for the Summer Olympics to highlight the impact of climate breakdown in the far north.
Authorities in Salla, a remote municipality of 3,500 people in northern Finland, released a pitch in January to become a candidate city for the 2032 Olympic Games, despite average temperatures barely climbing above freezing for six months of the year.
“I’ve never felt warmth before, but I’m sure it’s coming,” one resident says in the video bid, which warns that a snow-covered tundra will become a beach volleyball pitch and a frozen river the site for surfing if climate change is not addressed.
The video describes the town as being “in the middle of nowhere” and says it is the coldest place in Finland. In winter, temperatures regularly sink to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).
Scientists say the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average, endangering local wildlife as well as releasing carbon stored in the melting permafrost.