African athletes are accustomed to Beijing’s steamy temperatures and count themselves among the few who are unconcerned about the weather during the Olympics.
Temperatures have risen to 34° Celsius this week and hot and humid air is making the outdoors unbearable for many of the athletes.
China Olympic officials have been handing out free bottled water to help cool things down.
For African athletes, who are used to long summers, it is just business as usual.
”The heat, what heat? This is very much like back home so the athletes have been dealing with it just fine, nothing extraordinary at all,” said Nigeria team manager Dr Amos Amadu.
Beijing organisers are working on a plan to prevent heatstroke at the Olympics among spectators, athletes and staff.
Côte d’Ivoire athletes felt no need to acclimatise, arriving in Beijing on August 2 straight from home.
Tae-kwando competitor N’guessan Sebastien Konan shrugged it off: ”We have the same weather so there’s no problem with it … We’ve been training very hard.
”But I can’t say it gives me an advantage because everybody is here to get a medal.”
Even South African canoeists, who left home at the end of winter, were looking forward to competing in the heat at the Olympics, which begin on Friday.
”It is terribly hot but at least it’s better to compete when it’s hot because the water splashes nicely on you, so we are not worried,” said Lindelani Ngidi.
South African athletes spent up to a month at training sessions in South Korea to acclimatise.
Equitorial Guinea 100m sprinter Reginaldo Michandong is among the few African athletes anxious about the weather.
”We don’t have so much humidity back home so I am a little bit worried, but at least I’ve got a few days to train and get used to it,” he said through an interpreter. – Reuters