Paris track meet to proceed under heat precautions
French athletics officials say Sunday’s Diamond League event will be scaled back as France faces record heat and red weather alerts.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
The Paris Diamond League track and field meeting will take place Sunday at Charlety Stadium despite a severe heatwave that has put pressure on emergency services across France, according to the Associated Press. French athletics officials said the event will be reduced to professional competitions and run with extra safety measures.
The French Athletics Federation, known as the FFA, confirmed Friday that the meet would proceed after discussions with the Paris police prefecture, AP reported. The decision came hours after police authorities asked organizers to cancel the athletics meet and other weekend events because of the heat.
According to AP, the police prefecture cited unusually high temperatures affecting Paris since June 21. Authorities also sought the cancellation of other scheduled gatherings, including a music festival and a Pride march, saying emergency services needed to focus on protecting people most at risk.
The prefecture said compliance could be required if event organizers did not agree voluntarily, AP reported. The FFA said it had been tracking conditions with government authorities since the start of the extreme weather and that safety for athletes, staff, officials, volunteers, coaches and spectators was its priority.
Scaled-back event plan
The FFA said the Paris meet will be held in an adjusted format. Only events involving professional athletes will go ahead, while other activities linked to the meeting have been canceled, according to AP.
Several leading track and field athletes are expected to compete in Paris, including Noah Lyles, Femke Bol and pole vault world record holder Mondo Duplantis, AP reported. The meet is part of the Diamond League, the elite international circuit for athletics.
Organizers plan to delay the opening of stadium gates to spectators, add medical and emergency personnel, and increase access to drinking water and shade, according to the FFA. Those measures are intended to reduce heat-related risks during the competition.
France under extreme heat alerts
The decision comes as France records some of its highest nationwide temperatures. Meteo France said the average temperature across 30 weather stations reached 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 degrees Fahrenheit, on Thursday, matching the national record for hottest day set one day earlier, according to AP.
More than three-quarters of France has been placed under a red weather alert for the first time, AP reported. Red alerts are the highest warning level and indicate conditions that can pose serious health risks, especially for older people, young children, outdoor workers and people with medical vulnerabilities.
Paris authorities have warned that emergency services are stretched by the heat, according to AP. The FFA’s decision keeps the elite athletics competition on the calendar while removing nonessential programming around it.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.