Paris 2024 Heat: Ice Vests, Fans And Longer Breaks For Athletes
After a rainy start, the extreme heat that meteorologists predicted has arrived to Paris 2024. France’s meteorological agency issued a yellow alert weather warning for Paris and the surrounding areas on Tuesday, with highs of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and an orange alert for strong thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail and lightning likely from early evening over the French capital.
At Roland-Garros, USA’s Taylor-Fritz and Great Britain’s Jack Draper felt the heat in the men’s tennis second round. The court was watered before the second set as both players took an extended break. Draper held a bag of ice over his face during a break. As Taylor-Fritz took the win, BBC commentators said the “incredible heat took it out of Draper, you could see he was a spent force really from the start of the third set, and Taylor-Fritz mopped him up.”
Heat impacted the men’s hockey pool match between Great Britain and Netherlands at Stade Yves-du-Manoir in the northwest of Paris also. The break between quarters was extended from two minutes to four minutes, to enable more recovery time. Players were seen in the shade, hydrating, next to fans, with cold towels on their heads and around their necks.
Canadian beach volleyball players Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson got off to a “scorching start” to their campaign as they won against Paraguay’s Giuliana Poletti and Michelle Sharon Valiente Amarilla on Monday. Speaking to Humana-Paredes, it wasn’t just the performance that was scorching, but the temperature too, “We had ice “scarves” and ice packs on our head during our match. We were also drinking ice slushies during time outs” she said.
Marseilles in the south of France, where the olympic sailing events are taking place, has not escaped the hot weather being experienced in Paris. Vests filled with ice packs were used by some athletes to keep cool on Tuesday, with Czech women’s skiff crew Sara Tkadlecova commenting, “The heat is really bad and at least this is cooling me down.” American windsurfer Dominique Stater also wore an ice vest after her races in Marseille on Monday, “It’s pretty crazy heat, more than Miami.”
Spectators watching outdoor events are also managing the heat that athletes are competing in. There are signs advising visitors to wear hats, stay hydrated and reapply sunscreen. Staff members sprayed water over spectators during a break in the men’s pool beach volleyball match between Brazil and Cuba. Misting fans have been installed outside venues and spectators are receiving “pop-up notifications on all the Paris related apps now” highlighting the expected high temperatures and available water fountains, Madeleine Orr advised.
Orr, Assistant Professor at University of Toronto, is attending Paris 2024 as a spectator, but has written extensively about the heat risks that summer Olympics Games pose to athletes health. “We expected these conditions. With climate change, every event moving forward should build in as much flexibility in the schedule as possible.”
2023 was the officially hottest year on record and scientific studies show that extreme weather events, like the heat experienced at Paris 2024, are likely to become more frequent or intense with climate change. Sports event organisers, governing bodies, athletes and spectators will have to adapt to this new reality.