Preparing for an event of the magnitude of the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be a source of heatstroke. Often unexpected. But if there are some that the organizers of Paris 2024 know that they will probably have to face and manage, it is the significant heat peaks which could accompany the competitions, at the end of July and beginning of August.
“Heat and weather conditions in general are among the well-identified risks since the application phase”, confirms Lambis Konstantinidis, executive director of planning and coordination within Cojop. In the worst-case scenario, temperatures in the Paris region could exceed the 2003 record by around 4°C (35°C for nine days in a row), warned a study published in November 2023 by the journal NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science.
Faced with potential risk ” thermal stress ” – to use the term used by the authors of this study – Cojop worked on developing different scenarios and different measures. He did this with the various stakeholders at the national level (Météo France, in particular) and internationally (International Olympic Committee, national Olympic committees and sports federations).
Two meetings per day with Météo France
This summer, Paris 2024 will rely on close collaboration with Météo France, whose teams will be present from July at its headquarters in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis). “Meetings will take place twice a day and this will make it possible to have, ten days before an event, credible elements of forecasting and therefore to anticipate possible modifications”details Lambis Konstantinidis.
For the latter, there would be “no particular concerns to have about the holding of the tests”. Whether during the Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or those in Tokyo in 2021, for which this question of heat had already arisen, he adds that“there was no complete cancellation of the event but [qu’]we had to anticipate or delay certain events”. In Tokyo, for example, the women’s marathon was brought forward due to the high temperatures.
This is also what could happen this summer. Cojop has established temperature thresholds with each international sports federation – however some have considered that they would do without. He also reflected with them on the impacts that climatic conditions could have on the competitions. This has led, for example, to scheduling road races in the morning or events planned in the Grand Palais in the morning or evening to reduce the greenhouse effect of the building’s glass roof.
Adjustments may be made based on forecasts established a few days before the competitions. “Sport by sport, we will ask ourselves if we continue as planned, if we have to modify the schedules or if the risk of heat is high, if we have to find another slot”explains Lambis Konstantinidis.
Notifications sent to viewers
As far as spectators are concerned, the system planned by Paris 2024 will be based both on upstream information and on the implementation of specific resources on the sites. Each ticket holder will thus be communicated a “guide to good practices”depending on the site to go to.
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“Each spectator will receive, depending on the weather forecast, a notification of Paris 2024 with a reminder of what to do (think about hydration, sunscreen, etc.) and, depending on the site where they will go, a information on expected temperatures if they are likely to be high », explains Mr. Konstantinidis. The drafting of these messages is being prepared with the various stakeholders who will also be required to communicate on the subject (such as transport) in order to ensure their consistency.
Around the sites, the organizers are planning the installation of “gray areas” as well as water fountains (one for 300 people). This system could be expanded in the event of a rise in temperature. “in order to make the wait more comfortable”. Lambis Konstantinidis also explains that the entry flow of spectators can be adapted so that“they are not too exposed”.
If the indoor tests will take place in air-conditioned enclosures, those planned outdoors will require special means to cope with the heat. “We will have hydration capabilities, as well as cooled spaces, to catch your breath, rest, hydrate”, says Mr. Konstantinidis. And to add: “There will be responses adapted to everyone’s needs and exposures. »
At the Olympic Village, “a minority” of delegations will bring their air conditioning
In the Olympic Village, Paris 2024, to meet its environmental commitments, has chosen not to install air conditioning in the apartments that the athletes will occupy. The organizers assure that it will be 6°C cooler than outside. Not enough to reassure certain athletes and certain delegations. The most worried will equip their rooms with mobile air conditioners, as, for example, Australia or Greece have announced. Others should follow. “It will remain a minority”however, assures Lambis Konstantinidis, executive director of planning and coordination within Cojop.
Our selection of articles on the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Find all our content on the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games:
Emmanuel Macron decides in favor of Parisian second-hand booksellers after months of controversy
Gérald Darmanin lowers the gauge of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games to 300,000 spectators
“The Stade de France, let’s be clear, is not a plan B” for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games
Ile-de-France businesses are organizing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Paris 2024: should we fear the worst in transport in Ile-de-France?
Transport during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris: from the euphoria of promises to the shock of reality
Suspense to know if line 14, “the lifeline of the Games”, will be fully operational
The Paris 2024 Olympic Village takes up residence in Seine-Saint-Denis
A logistical time trial at the Olympic Village for the Organizing Committee
Construction work on the tower for surfing events has begun
The Olympic village built in Seine-Saint-Denis, an XXL laboratory for low-carbon construction
Bernard Thibault: “For the 2024 Games, our objective is to demonstrate that major events are not incompatible with high social rights
- Athlete preparation
Dorian Coninx, world triathlon champion, swallows the kilometers to avoid staying at the dock
Hugues Fabrice Zango, the doctoral student who wants to offer Burkina Faso its first Olympic gold medal
The final challenge for sprinter Nantenin Keïta, in search of one last Paralympic podium
Cyrille Chahboune, former commando amputee of both legs, rebuilt himself through sport
Simone Biles on her way to Paris 2024: “I’m getting old and I have more to lose”
Marc-Antoine Olivier, the open water swimmer who makes waves
- The question of the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes
These Russian wrestlers whose neutrality is contested
Football and the Paralympic Games, two ticketing challenges
The Organizing Committee draws from its reserve to keep the Games budget in balance
Ongoing legal investigations
Tony Estanguet, the boss of the Games, in his turn in the sights of justice
The “four musketeers” of the organizing committee targeted by the PNF
- The Olympic Torch Relay
Some municipalities are irritated by the requirements and costs linked to hosting the torch relay
The government steps on the accelerator to close the accessibility gap
- Seine-Saint-Denis and the Games
The Red Star Rugby of Saint-Ouen deprived of a stadium because of the Games
An island, an eco-friendly mayor and “the chance” to benefit from the Games
In La Courneuve, we “would like to see the Games arrive with the eyes of a child”
- Paris at Games time
Enthusiastic inauguration for the Adidas Arena, the new venue at Porte de la Chapelle
Cultural places worried and in need of information seven months before the Olympic Games
Film shootings will be banned in the capital for the first time for three months
- The Games are not just Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis
The American athletes most likely to be medalists will prepare in Eaubonne, in Val-d’Oise
In Calvados, the hope of a “boost” for attractiveness with the reception of foreign sports delegations
Paris 2024: the city of Miramas follows Kenyan time
197 Club 2024 fan zone projects, but the initiative is being shunned by some big cities
- Environmental issues
Coca-Cola, sponsor of the Paris 2024 Olympics and still “world champion” of plastic pollution
The difficult challenge of the “green” Olympic Games
- The societal issues that the Games highlight
Far from the splendor of the Olympics, the reality of PE lessons in a Montreuil college
At the time of sport, a major national cause, the worrying situation of swimming pools in France
School sport is still looking for the right formula