Athletes find a fierce opponent in climate change

In the world of elite sport — and the kids who dream of getting there one day — playing through pain is a reality. 

When it comes to heat, that can be deadly, says University of Toronto sports ecologist Madeleine Orr.

"I've spoken to families who've lost their sons, usually, on a field," she said.

"It's devastating to see those numbers go up, especially because it's 100 per cent preventable."

Orr, whose expertise blends kinesiology and climate studies, has been gathering the data and sounding the alarm about the impact of climate change on the body, on competition, and on the culture of sport. 

She says if there isn't an environment where the athlete can say "I'm not okay," they might not get help, or take the break they need.

"That's what we consistently see, especially — and this is really important — in team sports, and especially among boys."

With the 2024 Summer Games set to kick off in Paris later this month, Olympians and others are calling for a wider acceptance that sport needs to adapt.

"We've studied that there is a sense among especially older coaches, trainers, et cetera in the sport institutions that 'we got through it when we were young,'" said Orr.

"The conditions in the 70s, 80s and 90s are not the conditions our athletes are facing today."

Dangerous conditions are emboldening high performance athletes to rebel against the tradition of play at all costs.

"I'm a fighter, I can finish the match, but I can die," Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev told the umpire at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, after two medical time outs in what felt like 37-degree heat.

Widely accepted as the hottest Games ever, even specialized heat training couldn't acclimatize many of the competitors.

Canadian sprint canoe athlete