Future of Olympics in doubt as climate change drives up temperatures

The soaring impact of climate change could turn the Olympics into a test of endurance not just for athletes but for organisers of future summer Games, who may find it less and less feasible to host them.

As global temperatures rise, the viability of holding the Olympics in the summer is being called into question. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, himself underscored the urgency of the issue.

“If the climate change is continuing in a way that the experts are forecasting it then it will be very difficult to organise Olympic Games in summer,” Bach warned in August.

By 2050, cities that have previously hosted the Games, such as Beijing, Rome, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, might face dangerously high temperatures during July and August – putting the health of athletes and spectators at risk.

CarbonPlan, a climate non-profit, has predicted extreme heat events for these cities, with temperatures potentially surpassing thermal stress thresholds that include not just Celsius temperatures but also humidity and solar radiation.

“We found that this heat burden is going up everywhere. Places that used to be hot only a handful of days are now going to be hot for many days,” Oriana Chegwidden, a scientist at CarbonPlan, told RFI.

"And unfortunately the time when the summer Olympics are typically held coincides with the worst heat of the year in most of the world ... Heat is something poeple need to be taking into account. This is a form of climate adaptation.”

Another potential solution is to move the Olympics to later in the year to avoid peak summer heat.

Read more on RFI English

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