Paris 2024 forecast to be hottest Olympics in history with potentially deadly consequences

A new report, titled “Rings of Fire: Heat Risks at the 2024 Paris Olympics”, states that the previous Games held in Tokyo in 2021 “offered a window into an alarming, escalating norm for Summer Olympics”.

Temperatures rose above 34°C while humidity approached 70% in the Japanese capital, setting heat records for the Games.

However, Paris 2024 is predicted to surpass that due to global inaction on the climate crisis which has caused to world to warm further in the three years since.

“At [the Tokyo Olympics] I felt like the heat was bordering on true risk – the type of risk that could potentially be fatal,” said New Zealand tennis player and Olympic bronze medallist Marcus Daniell.

“One of the best tennis players in the world [Daniil Medvedev] said he thought someone might die in Tokyo, and I don’t feel like that was much of an exaggeration. We sometimes have to play in conditions where an egg can literally be fried on the court. This is not fun or healthy. Heatstroke is relatively common in tennis.”

Paris has been subject to a series of record heatwaves in recent years. More than 5,000 people died in France during last year’s summer when temperatures exceed 40°C in some areas.

The report, produced by BASIS and FrontRunners with input from University of Portsmouth professors, warns that because the Games are taking place during high summer, it means the threat of a dangerously hot spell is likely.

“A warming planet will present an additional challenge to athletes, which can adversely impact on their performance and diminish the sporting spectacle of the Olympic Games,” said Associate Professor of Environmental Physiology in the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth Dr Jo Corbett.

“Hotter conditions also increase the potential for heat illness amongst all individuals exposed to high thermal stress, including officials and spectators, as well as athletes.”

Last year was the hottest on record according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and 2024 has continued this trend. April 2024 was warmer globally than any previous April recorded.

The report has made five recommendations for sporting authorities, starting with smarter scheduling to avoid competing in heat extremes.

Keeping athletes and fans safe with better rehydration and cooling plans, and empowering athletes to speak out on the climate crisis are also included.

It has also called for increased collaboration between sporting bodies and athletes on climate awareness campaigns, and for fossil fuel sponsorship to be reassessed in sport.

Image: Steven Lelham on Unsplash