To Beat the Heat, Athletes Bring Cool Tech to Paris 2024
Athletes competing in Paris 2024 will encounter extreme heat. There will be no air conditioning in the athletes' quarters at Paris 2024 due to the event's dedication to sustainability. Stanford University's CoolMitt provides an innovative way to regulate body temperature.
With record-breaking heatwaves in 2023, the European summer is projected to bring warmer-than-normal conditions to the Games in July. However, unlike past Olympics, there will be no air conditioning in the athletes' quarters in Paris 2024, as the event strives to be the greenest yet. This means that athletes will have to devise novel techniques to manage their body temperatures during training, recovery, and competition.
Craig Heller, a biology professor at Stanford University who specialises in body temperature control, underlined the issues that athletes experience in hot situations. He contrasted the likely conditions in Paris to the previous Olympics in Tokyo, where participants had to face hot temperatures. Heller stressed that higher ambient temperatures can have a substantial impact on performance.
Stanford University, known for its Olympic athletes, has been at the forefront of studying body temperature control. The university's proximity to Silicon Valley has enabled the incorporation of technology into the realm of sports. Heller, for example, co-invented the CoolMitt. This device, worn like a mitten on the hand, helps to remove heat from the body while chilling the blood that circulates back to the heart and muscles.
The CoolMitt is intended to be utilised during game timeouts, between sets and reps in the gym, or during any brief pause in training or competition. It prevents hyperthermia by eliminating heat from the body's core, allowing athletes to work harder and longer. This, in turn, causes a stronger conditioning effect. The gadget focuses on glabrous skin surfaces, which are non-hairy areas of the body that aid in heat escape.
The CoolMitt has already been used by USA Wrestling and American fencer Alex Massialas, with encouraging results. The mitten features a water-perfused pad adjusted to 10 to 12 degrees Celsius (50 to 53 degrees Fahrenheit). This pad removes heat while chilling the athlete's blood, reducing vasoconstriction and ensuring proper blood flow.
Tyler Friedrich, Stanford University's associate athletics director for applied performance, has seen the CoolMitt improve athletes' performance. He highlights the significance of managing heat and core temperature to achieve peak performance. Traditional techniques such as ice baths and cold towels are often used, but Friedrich feels they may not be as beneficial. Recent studies have urged for more study to evaluate the effectiveness of cold-water immersion techniques. In contrast, the CoolMitt has proven tangible results, with athletes reporting increased energy and performance throughout sports and contests.
As athletes prepare for the Paris Olympics, the use of revolutionary cooling devices such as the CoolMitt will be critical in helping them fight the heat. With no air conditioning in their accommodations, athletes will have to rely on such innovations to keep their performance levels up in the face of high temperatures. Paris 2024 promises to see not just tough competition, but also the triumph of technology in keeping athletes cool under duress.
Athletes at Paris 2024 face the challenge of competing in scorching temperatures.
No air conditioning in athletes' rooms at Paris 2024 due to the event's commitment to sustainability.
Stanford University's CoolMitt offers an innovative solution to regulate body temperature.
Source: REUTERS