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    • Paris Olympics brace for heatwave after wet start
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    Paris Olympics brace for heatwave after wet start

    Vaseline Posted on

    Paris — The 2024 Olympics famously began with a rainy opening ceremony that soaked athletes and spectators. Now, on Tuesday, they’re facing the opposite: a heat wave.

    Most of France is under a heat wave warning on Tuesday, with temperatures in Paris and surrounding areas expected to soar to 35 C (95 F) or higher, the national weather agency said. Air conditioning is much less common in homes, shops and restaurants than in places like the United States.

    The heat is expected to be even worse in the south, including the region around the Mediterranean city of Marseille, where Olympic competitions including football and sailing are held. Parts of southern France were as hot as 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Monday, and temperatures are expected to reach that high again on Tuesday.

    Last week saw record heat on a global scale, as climate change makes extreme weather more frequent and intense. Paris 2024 organizers have tried to reduce the event’s carbon footprint, including by using an underfloor cooling system and insulation instead of air conditioning in the Olympic village where the athletes will be staying. Some countries, such as the US, have brought their own systems.

    Government officials and Olympic organizers are bracing visitors and athletes for a sweaty and sunny Tuesday after the Games got off to a wet start. Thunderstorms were also expected to hit the Paris region in the evening.

    There were a few misters set up in the city park La Concorde, where you can do things like skateboarding and BMX freestyle cycling. People were already showering or cooling off with an ice cream on a warm Monday.

    The Paris region’s train and metro company has announced that more than 2.5 million containers of water will be distributed at more than 70 train stations and other stops on the public transport network, as well as at bus stations.

    For the equestrian teams, there is a system to keep their horses cool between competitions. These competitions take place in the royal gardens of the Palace of Versailles, just outside Paris.

    The animals are sprayed with cooling water on both sides and remain in the shade after the course, which does not last long.

    “I would be more worried about the spectators, to be honest,” said German rider Julia Krajewski, the reigning Olympic champion in the individual eventing category.

    She wasn’t worried about the competition, wearing a thick coat, a helmet and heavy boots.

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

    Other athletes were also unconcerned as temperatures around Paris rose to just below 30 degrees Celsius on Monday.

    American tennis player Coco Gauff said she felt “good” after her match and that it was “like playing in Florida.” And even if it gets warmer, she won’t worry about it.

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

    On the other hand, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, who defeated rival Rafael Nadal, found it “quite warm on court,” noting the change from Saturday’s rain. “The weather in Paris is quite unpredictable.”

    In the south of France, American windsurfer Dominique Stater wore a vest filled with ice cubes after her race in Marseille last Monday, where it was 31 degrees in the late afternoon.

    “It’s pretty hot, even hotter than Miami,” said Stater, who hails from the sweltering Florida metropolis.

    Stater said it’s important to stay hydrated, especially since windsurfers wear a lot of protective gear.

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

    France’s national weather agency described heat waves as “increasingly intense, frequent, early and prolonged” amid climate change. It said such high temperatures were observed on average once every five years before 1989, and since 2000 they have been repeated every year. It predicts the trend will continue to increase.

    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.

    Vaseline
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