A man cools off at a mist station installed at Shiokaze Park during the beach volleyball test event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on July 25, 2019. – Tokyo 2020 Olympics organisers tested everything from misting sprays to air-conditioned tents on July 25 as they trialed heat mitigation measures a year before the Games gets under way. | Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images
Olympic athletes are grappling with another public health threat on top of the pandemic: extreme heat. This year’s summer Olympics are forecast to be the hottest in decades. Temperatures expected to rise above 30 degrees Celsius (close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit) this week could put even the strongest athletes in danger of heat stroke or illness. They’ll also have to contend with oppressive humidity, which interferes with the body’s ability to regulate its temperature by sweating, on top of the scorching heat.
Athletes have tried to acclimate themselves to the weather in advance of the games. Team USA, for example, even took inspiration from how…
