A deluge, a scorching heat, and a return to bad weather... The additional challenge organizers feared has indeed arrived at the Olympics: complex weather conditions posing a significant test for athletes. The first heat wave of 2024, which suffocated the south of France with peaks at 40°C (104°F), reached Paris on Tuesday, July 30, where the temperature exceeded 60°C (96.8°F). The night between Tuesday and Wednesday also promises to be very hot in the Paris region, where most of the Olympic venues are located, with minimum temperatures hovering around 22°C (71.6°F), preventing the body from recovering properly.

On Wednesday, Météo-France forecasts hail and gusts reaching 60 to 80 km/h in some areas, which could disrupt the competitions scheduled for late afternoon.

The risk of a heatwave had long been anticipated by the Paris 2024 Olympic organizing committee, the authorities, and the sports teams. Nevertheless, competing in the scorching sun can be both painful and hazardous for athletes' health. This was the case on Tuesday in Ile-de-France for the rowing, field hockey, 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, and BMX Freestyle events, all of which took place outdoors. The same was true for football in Bordeaux, and sailing and windsurfing in Marseille.

Exposure to high temperatures combined with exercise "risks exceeding the body's thermoregulatory capacities, which can lead to heat stroke," said Basile Chaix, director of health and environment research at INSERM. The body's core temperature then exceeds 40°C (104°F), triggering a range of symptoms (nausea, cramps, headaches, dizziness, and breathing difficulties), which can even lead to death. "If not treated within 30 minutes, heatstroke can be fatal," said the expert.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the hottest in history, around 50 cases of heatstroke were recorded, and the image of Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa, who retired from the quarter-finals in a wheelchair following a heat-related illness, left a lasting impression.

To avoid forfeits and medical interventions, athletes have prepared themselves before the competitions, thanks to heat acclimatization protocols. "Athletes are exposed to a high temperature of around 36°C (96.8°F) for a maximum of one hour a day for two weeks, to acclimatize their bodies and reduce their internal temperature and heart rate," said Bertrand Daille, head of the performance unit at the Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance (INSEP).

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