Akito Watanabe of the Nordic combined came to the tournament in a slightly different way than usual. The 34-year-old has long been a top Nordic combined athlete.
He is the first to win three consecutive Olympic medals, including two bronze medals at last year's Beijing Olympics. The shortage of snow due to global warming is having a major impact on the sports world, he says. He feels a sense of crisis and the feeling that it was finally time for him to retire.