Paris Olympics brace for heatwave after wet start

PARIS– The 2024 Olympics were launched with a rain-soaked opening ceremony which drenched athletes and spectators. Now, they face the opposite experience on Tuesday: a heat wave.

Most of France is under a heatwave warning on Tuesday, with temperatures in Paris and surrounding areas forecast to rise to 35 C (95 F) or higher, the national meteorological agency said. Air conditioning is much less common in homes, stores, and restaurants than in places like the United States.

The heat was expected to be even worse in the south, including in the region around the Mediterranean city of Marseille, which hosts Olympic competitions like football It is navigation. Heat reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of southern France on Monday and temperatures were expected to be that high again on Tuesday.

Consecutive global heat record was seen last week as of Climate Change makes extreme weather more frequent and intense. The organizers of Paris 2024 aimed to reduce the event’s carbon footprint, including using a underfloor heating cooling system and isolation instead of air conditioning in the Olympic Village where the athletes are staying. Some countries, such as the USA, brought your own.

Government officials and Olympic organizers are preparing visitors and athletes for a sweaty, sunny Tuesday after the The games started badly. Thunderstorms were also expected to hit the Paris area in the evening.

Several misters were set up in La Concorde urban park, a place that includes skateboarding and freestyle BMX cycling, and people were already diving in on a hot Monday or cooling off with an ice cream.

The Paris region rail and metro operator said it will distribute more than 2.5 million containers of water at more than 70 train stations and other stops on its transport network, as well as bus stations.

For equestrian teams, they have a system for keeping horses fresh between competitions held in the royal gardens of the Palace of Versailles outside Paris.

The animals are sprayed with refreshing water on both sides and remain in the shade after the journey, which doesn’t take long.

“To be honest, I would be more worried about the spectators,” said rider Julia Krajewski, the current Olympic champion in the individual event category.

Otherwise, she wasn’t worried about competing in her thick jacket, helmet, and heavy boots.

“I personally prefer heat to cold. I don’t struggle with the heat,” Krajewski said Monday. “Of course, you have to be sensitive, know your horse. (But) horses fight less than the average human.”

Other athletes weren’t too worried either, as temperatures around Paris reached the low 30sC (highs 80°F) on Monday.

American tennis player Coco Gauff said she “felt good” after the match and that it was “like playing in Florida”. And even if it gets hotter, she won’t be bothered.

“I feel like I know how to survive in that kind of weather, maybe better than some other players,” she said. “I used the ice towel, which I rarely do at games, but it was more of a preventative measure.”

On the other hand, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, who beat rival Rafael Nadal, found it “very hot on the court”, noting the change in relation to Saturday’s rain. “Paris weather is quite unpredictable.”

In southern France, American windsurfer Dominique Stater wore a vest filled with ice packs after races in Marseille on Monday, where it reached 88 degrees in the late afternoon.

“It’s crazy hot, hotter than in Miami,” said Stater, who is from the sweltering metropolis of Florida.

Stater said staying hydrated is the priority, especially since windsurfers are clad in extensive protective gear.

This is the same advice weather officials are giving to anyone planning to go out on Tuesday: stay hydrated, avoid going out in the afternoon when it’s hotter, and wear a hat.

The French national meteorological agency described heat waves as “increasingly intense, frequent, earlier and longer lasting” amid climate change. He stated that before 1989, these high temperatures were observed on average once every five years and, since 2000, they have been repeated every year. He predicts the trend will continue to increase.

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AP writers Jerome Pugmire in Versailles; Jenna Fryer, Howard Fendrich, Hanna Arhirova, Stephen Whyno and Courtney Bonnell in Paris, and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Marseille contributed.