Olympic athletes resort to ice blocks, mini fans amid ‘crazy’ Paris heat

The 2024 Paris Olympics began with a rain-soaked opening ceremony that drenched athletes and spectators alike.

On Tuesday, however, they endured the exact opposite. Most of France is under heat warnings, with temperatures in Paris hitting 36C.

US gymnastics gold winner Simone Biles posted a video on Instagram of her struggling with the lack of air conditioning.

“Don’t come for me about my hair,” Biles wrote on Instagram before the gymnastics team final. “It was done but bus has no AC and it’s like 9,000 degrees. Oh and a 45 min ride.”

Visitors and athletes endured a sweaty and sunny Tuesday before thunderstorms were expected to sweep into the Paris area in the evening. People dipped into a Paris canal that serves as a popular swim spot or fanned themselves at exposed Olympic venues.

UK tourist Sarah David summed it up with her game plan: “Eating lots of ice cream, lots of water, bought a new fan.”

Volunteers used hoses to spray down cheering fans at the shadeless beach volleyball stadium near the Eiffel Tower and put up signs about water refilling areas.

Spectators ducked under trees for shade while players on the sunbaked sand — which can be more than 20°C hotter than the air temperature — took extra breaks to drape bags of ice over their heads and shoulders.

“Very hot,” Egyptian beach volleyball player Doaa Elghobashy remarked after competing in long sleeves, trousers and a hijab. “But not like Egypt.”

People took refuge in misting fountains set up in parts of Paris and venues like La Concorde urban park, which hosts skateboarding and BMX freestyle cycling.

The Paris area’s train and metro operator said it was distributing more than 2.5 million containers of water at over 70 train stations and other stops on its network, as well as at bus stations.

The New Zealand women’s rugby sevens team was turning to slushies, ice blocks, shade, ice water and cold baths before competing.

“We’ve got everything we possibly can to make sure we were cool down before the game, and when you play sevens, it’s hard,” captain Sarah Hirini said.

The equestrian teams sprayed their horses with cool water and kept them in the shade after riding the course,

Riders also said they cut down the warmups from 45 minutes to half an hour ahead of competitions held in the regal gardens of the Palace of Versailles outside Paris.

“It’s really hot, but you have to be professional about it,” British rider Carl Hester said after an event Tuesday. “Lots of walk breaks so the horses can relax. We’ve got a covered arena, so it keeps the sun off their backs.”

At Roland Garros, where tennis players competed on outdoor courts, organisers activated the first step of an “extreme weather” protocol, giving athletes in singles matches the chance to request a 10-minute break before the third set. The next step is to suspend play.

British tennis player Jack Draper complained that he wasn’t supplied with enough cold water on the court.

“I’m a big, big sweater,” Draper said, his face still covered in perspiration about a half-hour after his three-set loss to Taylor Fritz of the US. “The bottles don’t stay cool. We were drinking hot water out there.”

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open runner-up, also complained of “crazy heat” after getting eliminated by Germany’s Angelique Kerber.

“I trained in Spain and also in Miami, where it is hot — this type of weather,” she said. “But sometimes when you’re in a match, it’s a totally different environment. And in the heat, you get to feel all your emotions. … I didn’t manage it well.”

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal urged people to limit their outdoor activities during the day, hydrate, find shade and protect the most vulnerable — the elderly and young children. He said Olympics organisers were following the “severe heat wave” closely.