Scorching Heat Threatens Elite Sports: Athletes Demand Urgent Action
In the summer of 2025, one of the warmest ever recorded, has turned sports into a critical stage of climate adaptation. Football, tennis, and athletics have already felt the impact of historic temperatures that endanger health and performance. The Club World Cup became the symbol of this crisis, with players denouncing unbearable conditions and international organizations forced to debate changes that previously seemed unthinkable.
### The Club World Cup as a turning point
Under thermal sensations of 40 ºC and 78% humidity, several footballers reported dizziness and discomfort during the tournament in the United States. Marcos Llorente, from Atletico Madrid, even mentioned feeling pain in his feet when stopping or starting. The collective complaint of players made the championship an emblematic case.
### Elite sports against the thermometer
The problem goes beyond football. Tennis has also suffered: Wimbledon experienced its hottest opening day in history, while the United Cup in Australia left Alexander Shevchenko feeling like he was going to die after his match. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games also recorded cases of cramps, nausea, and dizziness with temperatures exceeding 35 ºC.
### A risk growing with climate change
The TGHB index, which combines temperature, humidity, wind, and radiation, has skyrocketed in the last decade. In 2014, only Orlando was outside the safe range for the World Cup; in 2025, seven out of eleven venues exceed the values compatible with safety. Science warns that hydration breaks are not enough: matches need to be rescheduled if the TGHB exceeds 32 ºC.
FIFPRO and World Athletics already suggest concrete measures: installing air conditioning systems in stadiums, moving events to spring or autumn, scheduling competitions at night, and subjecting athletes to thermal stress tests. A one-week prior acclimatization is another strategy under study. The report warns that many cities will be ruled out as future Olympic venues due to thermal incompatibility.
### Sports facing an existential threat
Not only athletes suffer: coaches, referees, technical staff, and fans are also exposed in increasingly hostile sports settings. For Sebastian Coe, president of the International Athletics Federation, climate change is already “an existential threat to sports.” If urgent action is not taken, the combination of high temperatures and rigid schedules could trigger foreseen tragedies.
Source: [Original Article Link]
