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Paris 2024: Report warns extreme heat making Games ‘impossible’

Paris 2024: Report warns extreme heat making Games ‘impossible’

A number of athletes have spoken in the report about struggling with competing in hot temperatures in hot conditions.

Team GB rugby sevens player Jamie Farndale says that extreme heat “takes a lot away from you” and also creates a worse game for fans watching.

Jamie said: “I found myself in these conditions where you’re literally trying to get through the next phase of play, your hands are sweaty, you can only concentrate on catching the ball, so I think it makes a worse game.”

Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics – and a two-time Olympic gold medallist – said the impact of global heating on athletes “can be varied and wide-ranging”, from smaller performance-impacting issues like sleep disruption and last minute changes to event timings, to severe health impacts such as heat related stress and injury.

As well as suggesting a reschedule of future summer Olympics, the report advises more rehydration and cooling strategies to be built into athletes’ plans and increasing awareness of the issue of overheating within the sporting industry.