LOS ANGELES (AP) – Here’s what could happen in Saturday afternoon’s first-round finals match between France and Paraguay in Philadelphia. world cup It was the hottest day of the tournament, posing a danger not only to the players and tens of thousands of fans in the outdoor stadium, but also to the community.
a heat wave The cold weather will continue in the eastern and central United States through the end of this week, with peak heat indexes of 100°F to 115°F (37.78°C to 46.11°C), a combination of temperature and humidity, expected, according to the National Weather Service. High nighttime temperatures will provide little relief and records may be broken.
Earlier this week, France’s players used field sprinklers to cool off from temperatures that reached 90°F (32.22°C) during a game against Sweden in New Jersey.
concerns about Extreme heat during the match Growth has continued in the United States, Canada and Mexico for several months, with some scientists saying: FIFA Heat safety guidelines are “inadequate” and “impossible to justify” even for athletes accustomed to the heat. For spectators, that may mean the game is slower and less intense.
Global temperatures have risen by about 1.26°F (0.7°C) in the past 30 years since the last World Cup was held in the United States, according to climate watchdog Berkeley Earth. Global temperatures will intensify and heat waves and other severe weather events will become more common.
It would have been “virtually impossible” for parts of Canada, as well as parts of Canada, to be blanketed in humid heat without climate change, World Weather Attribution scientists said Friday.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was moved from summer to winter due to the threat of extreme heat, and temperatures soared last year. club world cup. soccer World Federation of Players warned that extreme heat is likely to be a bigger problem at this and the next World Cup.
One of the hottest World Cup matches was in 1994 in Orlando, Florida, when temperatures reached 110 degrees (43.33 degrees Celsius).
Heat is the biggest killer of athletes
Heat hits you not only when your body warms up during exercise, but also from your surroundings. That makes it difficult to cool down when it’s very hot and humid, said Bharat Venkat, director of the Heat Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“So if you push yourself too hard, especially on a hot day, you’re much more likely to get heat stroke or even die,” he says.
Exercising intensely on a hot day can cause symptoms of exertional heat stroke, including extreme fatigue, decreased performance, headaches, irritability, nausea, dizziness, cramps, and dehydration.
Exertional heat stroke requires immediate medical attention and is the third leading cause of death in athletes.
Ryan Kalsbeek, a professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth College, says that when wet-bulb temperatures (including temperature, humidity, cloud cover, and wind) reach above about 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), humans lose the ability to cool down rapidly and “our physiological mechanisms just start to malfunction.”
Disturbances caused by the heat could also affect players’ decisions and affect the outcome of the match, he said.
Are FIFA’s heat safety regulations sufficient?
Required 3 minute hydration break This is to protect players and referees from extreme heat stroke during each half. However, they have drawn criticism from various groups. interrupt the flow of the game While giving coaches a chance to shift momentum in their team’s favor, some scientists argue that rest periods should be longer to allow players meaningful cooling and hydration when the heat is intense.
FIFA said outdoor matches during peak heat were also restricted, with matches scheduled for warm windowsills being given priority in covered stadiums.
According to FIFA guidelines, a match could be postponed if the wet bulb temperature reaches 89.60°F (32°C). But the temperatures are “so extreme that in the military and in basic training facilities across the United States, temperatures of 32 degrees are a black flag and all training must be halted and canceled,” said Douglas Casa, CEO of the Corey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut.
Temperatures during Saturday’s game in Philadelphia are expected to exceed 100 degrees F (37.78 degrees C). The players’ association FIFPRO and the American College of Sports Medicine are calling for the game to be postponed at 82.40F (28C) for safety reasons.
Players can train to reduce heat stress during exercise
As a sports scientist for the Brazilian Football Confederation, Guilherme Passos monitors the Brazilian national team and prepares for the heat wave.
He helped the team adapt to the American heat. “Direct exposure to the hottest part of the day can reduce the quality of your training a little bit,” he says. They use saunas and hot baths for heat training during competitions.
When Brazil hosted the World Cup in 2014, Passos said the players reduced the distance they ran, cut back on the high speeds and instead increased their technical and tactical precision.
“Soccer players have a really unique combination of athletic characteristics,” Kalsbeek said. “They have to have extreme endurance and explosive speed. On top of that, they have to make really important decisions. Different aspects of the sport are all affected by temperature.”
But it’s not just soccer players who are at risk. Many soccer fans are watching the World Cup while drinking alcohol. It’s dangerous to do it in the heat. Cities and stadiums have increased access to shade, cooling areas and water, and medical personnel have been deployed around FIFA fan festivals and stadiums.
“People will be dehydrated, extremely excited and not want to leave the game,” Kalsbeek said. “With such extreme temperatures, the audience will also be paying the price.”
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