The 2024 Olympic Games are swiftly approaching and are scheduled to take place in Paris at the end of next month. As the event coincides with the height of summer, it is anticipated that the weather will be exceptionally hot, with experts forecasting temperatures above normal. Last summer, Europe experienced record-high temperatures, and France’s national weather agency is expecting a similar scenario this year.
The extreme heat presents an additional challenge to the demanding physical requirements of athletic competition. Athletes participating in the Olympic Games will need to be particularly vigilant about regulating their body temperature during training, recovery, and competition, given that the facilities where they will be housed do not have air conditioning.
Craig Heller, an expert in body temperature regulation from Stanford University, has expressed concern regarding the potential impact of the high temperatures on the athletes’ performance. He referenced the discomfort experienced by athletes in Tokyo during the last Olympics due to the environmental temperature. Furthermore, Heller underscored the various effects of increased heat on athletic performance.
As a distinguished institution for Olympic athletes, Stanford University has a long history of success in the games. Athletes associated with the university have earned at least one medal in every Olympic Games since 1912. In the 2020 Tokyo games, Stanford-connected athletes secured a total of 26 Olympic medals, and in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, they won 27 medals.
Researchers at Stanford, including Heller, have been undertaking studies on body temperature regulation, and their proximity to Silicon Valley has enabled them to integrate technology into their research.
One notable innovation is CoolMitt, a device designed to cool the blood when worn as a glove on the hand. This technology assists in preventing hyperthermia by extracting heat from the body’s core and maintaining the coolness of active muscles. This enables athletes to sustain a higher work volume and conditioning effect during training and competition.
The device targets the non-hairy parts of the skin, which contain specialized vascular structures that facilitate heat loss. The palm of the glove is in contact with a special pad set to a temperature of 10 to 12 degrees Celsius, cooling the athlete’s blood before it reaches the level of vasoconstriction, which slows down blood flow.
According to Tyler Friedrich, who works with athletes at Stanford University, including those who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, maintaining optimal core temperature is crucial for peak athletic performance. Although traditional methods like ice baths and cold cloths are commonly used, they have not proven to be as effective as the CoolMitt.
Friedrich stressed the positive impact of the CoolMitt, noting that athletes have experienced sustained energy levels and improved performance throughout their competition.
In conclusion, the development of smart cooling technology is vital for Olympic athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Games, particularly in light of the expected hot weather conditions. With continued research and advancements in sports science, athletes can anticipate improved performance and greater comfort during their competition.
I am John Russell, and I have adapted this story originally reported by Nathan Frandino for Reuters for VOA Learning English.