The dates of the Olympics coincide with a disastrous heat wave in 2003. The likelihood of another has only grown due to ongoing global warming.
In the summer of 2003, a silent murderer struck the cobblestone streets of Paris.
A tremendous heat wave that began on August 4 swept throughout France, causing temperatures to rise more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average for nine days in a row. By the time it was all done, France had reported almost 15,000 more fatalities than would have been predicted during that time, with a large number occurring in Paris and among the elderly. They went unchecked until it was too late.
The incident gave rise to a new awareness of the potential dangers of heat waves in a future warmed by climate change, according to heat experts like Kristie Ebi, a professor of global health at the University of Washington.
“So many people perished, and it was so big. It was at that point when Ebi’s focus shifted.
All eyes will be on the Olympic torch when it ignites on Friday, July 26, along with the weather report. Twenty-one years after the fatal heat wave that occurred on the same days when disaster struck in 2003, Paris will host the Summer Olympics.
The likelihood of a hot wave during the games, when there won’t be air conditioning in the athletes’ village, has only grown due to continued global warming. Concerns over the issue have been voiced by a few Olympic teams.
In order to avoid the August heat, many Parisians take to leaving. Most years, when people escaped to beaches or coastal climes in early August, the city seemed muted.
With around 10,500 athletes and staff members, 20,000 media, and 31,500 volunteers anticipated, the city is likely to be bustling this year. There will be millions of spectators at the games.
Experts warned that a heat wave during the games might seriously endanger competitors and spectators. An extreme illustration of the issue was shown by the heat wave of Cerberus last summer, which caused temperatures in southern Europe to climb to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
“It could be a big problem,” according to Ollie Jay, an Australian heat expert from the University of Sydney, who added that he has given advice to Australian athletes on how to handle potential heat waves. Jay contributed to the consensus criteria that the International Olympic Committee wrote on shielding competitors from intense heat during the games.
When NBC News reached out to the International Olympic Committee for comment, it was sent to one of their heat specialists. A request for an interview with that expert was not answered. In response to inquiries about heat during the event, Paris 2024, the group in charge of organizing the games, remained silent.
Some scholars wonder whether it’s still a good idea to host the games at the height of summer, despite measures to mitigate the heat.
Jennifer Vanos, an associate professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability, said that staging the Olympics in July in a mid-latitude city like Paris would not be feasible if the goal is to keep athletes healthy and performing at their best.
Heat waves are especially likely to affect Paris. Paris has only 10% public green space, much of its building roofs are made of heat-trapping zinc, and as of 2020, just 25% of French homes have air conditioning.
The urban heat island effect, as it is known to scientists, causes the city to retain heat and become noticeably hotter than its surroundings. According to a 2014 analysis from the city’s urbanism agency, there was a potential for hot places to reach 15 degrees Fahrenheit, although overall temperatures were only around 4.5 degrees higher than in the nearby rural regions.
According to Pierre Masselot, a statistician at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who assessed heat exposure risks for 854 European towns, “it’s the one with the highest risk among the capitals of Europe.”
The athletes village in Paris will include green areas, such as a public park, carbon-friendly construction materials, and roofs that are favorable to animals.
However, the village will not have air conditioning in the apartments of athletes, as part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the games.
The facility will instead depend on an underground water cooling system and natural airflow conditioning. Even during a heat wave, organizers assured The Associated Press last year that evening temperatures would not rise over 79 degrees.
The temperature has increased since 2003. According to research published in Nature Climate and Atmospheric Science, there is a chance that current heat wave temperatures may surpass those of the 2003 heat wave by as much as 7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat prompted officials to delay events during the previous Summer Olympics in Tokyo, when it drove hundreds of competitors beyond their limits.
According to research published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, temperatures at several outdoor sites during the Tokyo games topped 95 degrees F, which resulted in around 110 athletes suffering from heat-related ailments. Heatstroke and other serious heat-related illnesses were reported in ten instances. According to the journal publication, some sportsmen needed to be treated with ice baths.
The Olympic organizers relocated endurance sports, such as the marathons and race walks, almost 500 kilometers north to Sapporo and changed the start schedules to early morning hours due to concerns about the extreme heat of Tokyo. It was ineffective as the women’s marathon competitors had to contend with above 100-degree heat and excessive humidity on the roads.
There were about half as many heat-related illnesses in Sapporo endurance events.
Due to Covid-19, the Tokyo Games were held a year later than scheduled under a state of emergency. Because fewer people attended, the workload of emergency workers was lessened. Though it’s something Paris must deal with, Shota Tanaka, an adjunct researcher at Kokushikan University and former medical operations manager at Olympic venues, noted that having no spectators significantly lessened the load on medical services.
According to Tanaka, “we expected a really high number” of instances of heatstroke. “In terms of heatstroke, holding the Olympic games in August is basically a crazy idea.”
In the weeks leading up to the games, athletes will be ready for the heat.
Athletes will be advised by Franck Brocherie, a senior researcher in exercise and environmental physiology at the French Institute of Sports, to acclimate before the games. Brocherie stated that he will encourage athletes to work out for an hour every day in a heat chamber that is heated to approximately 95 degrees. According to Brocherie, most competitors would probably need to practice for two weeks leading up to the competition in order to get their bodies ready for the potential damage that heat may do.
“There’s no downside to acclimatization; if you’re not acclimated, you have no chance to perform on the day of your event,” Brocherie said.
Heat may significantly reduce an athlete’s performance even after they have acclimated, according to Vanos, an assistant professor at Arizona State University and former NCAA distance runner.
Vanos predicted that there wouldn’t be many records broken in the endurance events in Paris.
According to the heat experts, athletes will be simpler to prepare for the heat than volunteers and spectators who lack the same degree of fitness and acclimatization.
According to Brocherie, hospitals and Paris organizers should prepare for heat-related ailments among visitors.
The shorter event will start at 11:30 p.m., while the amateur marathon will start at 9 p.m. The late hours are precautions against the heat.
Vanos said, “Organizing a large-scale recreational marathon in the summer is not normal.” “The typical recreational runner may find what Paris is doing to be fairly dangerous.”
According to Brocherie, the route is difficult and steep.
“During the race, people will encounter difficulties,” he said. “There’s a real problem and a chance that the strain on the healthcare system will grow.”
The U.S. broadcast rights for the 2024 Olympics belong to NBC Universal.
