No finish line: Temperature changes continue to impact athletes’ performances

From mandatory cooling breaks at the FIFA World Cup to midnight marathons and heat-suspended tennis, rising temperatures are forcing sport to rewrite its rules to protect athletes.

In 2025, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the global calendar of Olympic sports may need to be “re-engineered” amid the challenges posed by climate change, after athletics’ biggest stars had to contend with searing temperatures at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Roughly 75 per cent of athletes perceive a direct negative impact on their health and performance due to climate change.