Ice vests and fans as heat affects Paris Olympics

Athletes wore ice vests and spectators carried hand fans as a heatwave hit the Olympic Games.

Temperatures are expected to reach 35C with a heat warning issued for Paris and the surrounding areas.

A yellow alert – the second of the four weather tiers – is in place in the capital, with an orange alert in Bordeaux and Lyon.

The sailing events are taking place in Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast in the south of France, where competitors wore ice vests to try to counteract the heat.

Paris and its surrounding suburbs have also been put on a major storm alert, with strong thunderstorms and heavy rain “likely” from 17:00 BST (18:00 local time).

A number of Tuesday’s events take place outside, including the dressage qualification at Versailles and the BMX freestyle qualifiers at Place de la Concorde.

Spain also play Egypt in the men’s football in Bordeaux.

Signs at venues encouraged spectators to wear hats, stay hydrated and apply sunscreen.

Organisers have contingency plans for each sport and venue – some sports, for example, have a specific temperature threshold where play cannot continue if it goes above that.

Tennis players were given an extended break between the second and third sets in the men’s and women’s singles.

Britain’s Jack Draper was unhappy with the water bottles the players were provided with at Roland Garros.

“I haven’t played in this kind of heat for four months, it’s really tough out there,” world number 27 Draper said.

“They give bottles to the players but the bottles don’t stay cool, so, you know, you’re drinking hot water out there.

“That’s not fun in those sort of conditions. That was really tough to deal with.”

British dressage rider Carl Hester said he had adjusted his warm-up routines to protect himself and his horse in the heat.

“It’s really hot but you have to be professional about it. We have to temper the warm-up,” he said.

“Normally, you’re warming up for perhaps 45 minutes, and then in weather like this, usually, maybe 30, 35 minutes.

“Lots of walk breaks so the horses can relax. We’ve got a covered arena so it keeps the sun off their backs.

“If you’re really thinking about your horse, you warm up in the covered arena to keep the sun off them and then you just come out for the performance.”

At the BMX, ice vests and water bottles were given to riders, who were also shaded by umbrellas.

More than 300 water fountains have been installed in the city and there will be access to shaded areas at venues.

“We should not have any major cancellations, but we will evaluate on a case-by-case basis,” Paris 2024 operations director Lambis Konstantinidis told BBC Sport on Tuesday.

“We will not put anybody at risk.”

A recent report by climate scientists and heat physiologists (who investigate the impact of heat stress on the human body) at the University of Portsmouth in the UK, said average temperatures in the French capital for the equivalent period in which the 2024 Olympics will be held have increased by 3.1C (5.6F) since 1924.

The Olympic village was originally designed to be free of air conditioning, but in light of concerns about heat, 2,500 temporary cooling units were fitted.

The men’s triathlon had been due to take place on Tuesday but was postponed after tests revealed the water quality was not clean enough for the swimming leg to take place.

Heavy rain on Friday and Saturday caused the water quality to decline and it could be further affected by the forecasted storms.