Extreme Heat Threatens Paris 2024 Olympic Athletes

Eiffel Tower Stadium is an outdoor venue for beach volleyball (doc. Olympics.com).

Athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the middle of this year are threatened with health risks due to the extreme hot weather that occurred during the event.

This was conveyed by the British Association for Sustainable Sport and Frontrunners, an organization that bridges athletes to participate in environmental issues.

The agency report, entitled Rings of Fire: Heat Risks at the 2024 Paris Olympics, published Tuesday, June 25, 2024, said that the rising heat could pose a health risk to participants.

"Extreme heat cases that disrupt health and sports pleasure have increased in recent years (since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics)," the report said.

Temperatures in Europe are expected to increase during the summer, precisely for the Olympics which will take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024.

Heat and humidity also had a major problem at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. At that time, athletes who were even used to practicing in the hot climate, also found it difficult.

The French National Weather Agency, Meteo-France, said that the temperature conditions would be warmer than usual after previously recording the hottest record in 2023.

"The Olympic fact lasts during the summer means that the threat from the terrible hot weather is a very real threat," the agency said.

The report looks at data from the last 100 years since the Olympics were held in France in 1924. The study found the average temperature increased by 3.1 degrees Celsius during the months of July and August.

British rugby athlete Jamie Farndale also warned of the dangers athletes could face due to this hot temperature.

"What we do is push ourselves to our limits. If we have to do it in unsafe conditions, I don't think the athletes will hold back," he said.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that there were several preventive measures that could be taken. One of them is reviewing the tournament schedule.

"It is very important for summer sporting event organizers to plan carefully to prevent hot-related diseases," an IOC spokesperson said.

The 2024 Paris Olympics are likely to be attended by more than 10 thousand athletes from 206 delegates. Indonesia is one of the delegates who took part in the four-yearly multi-event.