Future of ‘summer’ Olympics in doubt as climate change drives up temperatures, claims research group

Credit: IOC / Olympic Museum Collections

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The so-called ‘summer’ Olympics have been held outside summer before, for example in 1968. Wikipedia says ‘The 1968 Summer Olympics … were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico.’ It’s easy enough to get data on what the most likely temperatures are for any time of year, anywhere. If some competitors have to adjust their season’s schedule, so be it.
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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, says Yahoo News.

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. [Talkshop comment – when did such places not face that likelihood in mid-summer?]

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

Full article here.
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Image credit: IOC / Olympic Museum Collections