BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA — A newly published study states that most cities in the world will be too hot to host the summer Olympics in the near future. The list includes Tokyo, which will host the Games in 2020.
The prediction, published in medical journal The Lancet, was made based on the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) readings for cities big enough to hold the Games in the northern hemisphere. The WBGT measures the effect of ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation on humans.
When the WBGT temperature exceeds 77 degrees Fahrenheit, athletes competing outdoors may begin to experience heat stress. The reason is that high humidity reduces the rate at which perspiration evaporates and cools the body.
According to Reuters, scientists predict that cities bid cities for the 2020 Olympics, Istanbul and Madrid, as well as host, Tokyo, will be too hot to host the games in 2085. Contenders for 2024 Summer Olympics, Rome, Paris, Budapest and Los Angeles, would also be unfit to host the games six decades from now.
The study concludes that by 2085, only a few cities would have climates suitable for for the summer games. These include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast, Calgary, Vancouver and San Francisco.
