Athletes warn of deadly heat at Paris Olympics, study says future Games ‘impossible’
- As planet warms, intense heat could mean moving Games to cooler months if they are to continue, climate scientists and athletes say
Leading athletes and climate scientists have warned extreme heat will make it “impossible” to hold the Olympics during the summer months amid fears of dangerous conditions at this year’s Paris Games.
A group of Olympians worked with climate scientists and heat physiologists from the England’s University of Portsmouth to assess the threat warming temperatures could pose for athletes.
In a report published on Tuesday, they warned intense heat in the French capital this summer could lead to competitors collapsing and in worst-case scenarios dying during the Games.
One of the report’s recommendations includes changing the traditional schedules of competitions so that they take place in cooler months or cooler times of day.
Speaking to reporters ahead of its release, Kaitlyn Trudeau, senior research associate at Climate Central, said: “Without concerted efforts to reduce carbon emissions there’s no doubt that the Earth’s temperatures are on a trajectory that will make it nearly impossible, if not completely impossible, to host summer Olympics.”