By Jim Bloch
A person running in 100-degree heat can within minutes jack up his or her internal temperature to 104 degrees. If the body’s temperature rises above 105 degrees, the dangers of dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, organ failure and death increase dramatically. If the humidity is also high, the body cannot cool itself through sweating, increasing the danger.
That’s what athletes and fans may be facing as World Cup competition gets underway June 11-July 19 at 16 sites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, featuring 48 teams and 104 games. Fifteen of the 16 stadiums hosting games are outdoors.
Four U.S. sites — Miami, Dallas, Houston and Kansas City — regularly are marked by high temps and high humidity in the summer, which could affect the performance of the athletes and the safety of the fans. Studies have suggested that temperatures of 82.4 degrees and higher can negatively affect the performance of soccer players – they run slower, sprint less often, and cover less ground.
“It has the potential to be some of the most extreme environmental conditions for soccer in the history of America,” said Doug Casa, chief executive officer of the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut.
The institute, which studies the impact of heat on athletic performance, is named for the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive tackle who died of heat stroke during training camp in 2001.
Casa was quoted in a report released June 9 by Climate Central, the nonprofit group that studies climate change and its impacts on contemporary society.
Casa is especially worried about Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
“It could easily be a 100-degree day and 80% humidity,” he said.
“The area around Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, where matches will be played outdoors, now experiences roughly two additional weeks of extreme June and July heat compared to the 1970’s,” said the report.
But Miami is not alone as a potential hot spot.
Climate Central found that 14 of the 16 sites of World Cup games have seen more days of dangerously hot weather because of climate change.
The warming of the global climate began in earnest during the industrial revolution in the 19th Century with burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil for manufacturing, heating and transport, pouring heat trapping gases, especially carbon dioxide, into the air, which hold the sun’s heat in the atmosphere, warming the planet.
Two of the early games to keep a thermometer on are Brazil vs. Morocco in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, June 13, when the high is forecasted to be about 89, and Sweden vs. Tunisia, June 14, in Guadalupe, MX, where the high may reach 91.
Casa does not expect any heat-related deaths during the World Cup. But the danger remains.
“The outcome for heat stroke all boils down to the number of minutes that the body is above approximately 105 degrees,” Casa said. “We literally don’t know of anyone on planet Earth who has ever died from heatstroke if their temp gets under 104 within 30 minutes.”
FIFA – the Federation International de Football Association, which is international soccer’s governing body — has instituted mandatory cooling and hydration breaks of three minutes in per half in matches to protect the players.
Casa said that those breaks may be too short.
“That is just absolutely not long enough to have an impact,” he said. “My suggestion would be to make that 5 or 6 minutes.”
Fans are also at risk, especially when 90-degree days stretch into the evening.
FIFA organizers have instituted shaded fan areas, cooling stations, misting tents and expanded medical staffing at the stadiums.
“The weather is tending to be hotter on a consistent basis, even in months like April and May,” said former pro soccer player Marisa Abegg, who now coaches youth soccer in Connecticut. “I think it’s just going to play more and more of a role going forward.”
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
