Weather or not, the Olympics roll on
...this is a test. this is only an olympic blog test. do not be alarmed. do not summon chechnyans ...
SOCHI – It might be cold and snowy in Philly but it's been warm and sunny here in Sochi. Temperatures along the Black Sea coast were in the 60s again Thursday.
In the mountain area, it's slightly colder but officials there have been scrambling to put down new snow and ice.
This is the second straight Winter Olynpics where warm weather has been a major concern and 100 athletes here Thursday posted a letter urging the world's leaders to act quickly on climate change.
"Time," wrote U.S. skier Andrew Newell in the letter posted on the website, ProtectOurWinters.Com, "is definitely something we do not have on our side."
Newell pointed out that many cities that have hosted Winter Games in the past will no longer be able to so if current global-warming trends continue.
"Of the 19 cities which have already hosted the Winter Olympics, as few as 10 might be cold enough to host it by 2050 and only six by 2100.," Newell wrote. "As an Olympian, that's a scary thought."