Gaby
It’s been a century since Paris last hosted the Olympics, and the city has warmed by about 1.8 °C since then. Between 1947 and 2023, there have also been 50 recorded heatwaves.
That trend and new climate risks for athletes at the Summer Olympics, which begin July 26 in Paris, are detailed in a report from the British Association for Sustainable Sport and the climate advocacy group FrontRunners.
The authors of the report, titled “Fire Rings: Heat Risks at the 2024 Paris Olympics,” warn, “The fact that the Olympics will take place in the height of summer means that the threat of devastating heat is very real.”
During the summer of 2003, a deadly heatwave killed more than 14,000 people in France. Climate change has made events like that about ten times more likely and has raised the risk of heat-related deaths in central Paris by roughly 70 percent.
Physiologists Mike Tipton and Joe Corbett from the Extreme Conditions Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth (UK) say the Games could create conditions that impair athletes’ performance and, in the worst cases, put their lives at risk.
“In hot and/or humid conditions, it becomes more difficult to dissipate heat to the environment and regulate internal body temperature. This worsens physical performance, especially when the exposure is prolonged and requires sustained high-intensity effort,” the scientists explained.
One common way to measure how the body experiences heat is the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index. WBGT gives a broader picture than air temperature alone because it factors in humidity, air movement, and radiant heat.
A 2022 study found that the maximum temperature a young, healthy person can tolerate before losing the ability to regulate body temperature is around 31 °C, or about 30 °C at very high humidity.
Higher temperatures and humidity, which have become more frequent in Paris summers, raise the chances of sunburn, heat cramps, exhaustion, and even loss of consciousness from heatstroke.
Olympic officials have put some measures in place to reduce heat stress on athletes. But researchers say those steps aren’t strict enough to protect athletes as the planet warms.
Some Measures for Protecting Against Extreme Heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics
If the WBGT index reaches 30.1 °C during tennis competitions, players will get a 10-minute break. If it hits 32.2 °C, tournament organizers may stop play.
Organizers will cancel triathlon events if the WBGT index exceeds 32.2 °C.
There is no specific WBGT threshold for hockey players. Officials will only trigger safety measures once air temperature reaches at least 35 °C. A 2023 study found hockey was one of the most physically demanding sports at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. “During the Games, at least one hockey player suffered a heatstroke, and three others reported heat-related illnesses,” the report says.
Experts have urged Olympic organizers to reconsider event schedules to avoid extreme heat, strengthen safety protocols, and allow athletes to speak openly about how climate change affects their health during competition.
Science Alert has shared a link to the full report “Fire Rings: Heat Risks at the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
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