British Olympic Sailing Team Meteorologist Fiona Campbell gives us an introduction to the Olympics and the weather associated with the games.

Weather and the Olympics

Weather has always played a large part in the Olympics; winter Olympics rely on snow and ice whilst the summer Olympics run much more smoothly with nice weather with no big storms, heavy rain, high temperatures or winds.

Summer sports include archery, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian events, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, handball, judo, rowing, shooting, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, weight-lifting, wrestling, and yachting. All of these that take place outside or in a stadium without a roof are affected by the weather.

Meteorological support supplied by host countries increased dramatically during the 1996 Atlantic Games and Sydney received much praise for it's meteorological services. Local meteorological services give a general climate description, including rainfall, temperature, wind data, frequency of thunderstorms and fog etc.

Aspects of the weather that need to be considered include what might affect the comfort and safety of spectators - heat is often the worst offender. Warnings are given for event rescheduling or even cancellations; humidity and water condensation at the velodrome can cancel cycling events. Forecasts for all of the venues are provided.

Wind plays a large part in the sailing event, and this year is likely to play a large part in the rowing event too. The rowing lake has been built near to a local favoured windsurfing spot to the east of the city, as opposed to the west of the city where the sailing is to be held. During previous sailing test events, days have been lost to too little wind.

Tight security and Atlanta's hot and humid August weather were major concerns for Olympic organisers and those attending the games. This sounds vaguely familiar as the same problems may affect Athens. Heat is a major factor in the Athens summer; the city's residents vacate the city in August in search of cooler weather in the Islands. The athletes currently training in Athens are learning to cope with temperatures in the 30s as early as 10am.

By August it is not uncommon to see temperatures reaching 36 to 38 degrees for days on end, with some days reaching in to the 40s. The heat is relentless, cooling little overnight. Close to the coast some respite can be found in the breeze, but for those in the city there will be little wind to help. Air conditioned indoor areas are the only escape.

All the training and acclimatisation the teams are currently doing in Athens may be good training for Beijing. Atlanta suffered searing heat, high temperaturesare forecast for Athens and Beijing is trying to move the dates for 2008 to a cooler time of year. The Beijing Games are scheduled for late July and early August, "but many people doubt the athletes would be able to stand the heat of the city at that time," the China Daily said.

Wherever the 2012 games are held it will hopefully not be as hot, for the athlete’s sake. London, for example, has average temperatures in August of only 23°C compared to Atlanta, Athens and Beijing who all regularly have temperatures over 36°C and often reaching 40°C.

Another aspect Athens has had to face is pollution. The Environmental expertise of Jean-Michael Cousteau, son of famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, led to a role with the Athens Environmental Foundation, a group promoting environmental awareness and education for the 2004 Games. Suffice it to say the air and water quality in Athens has deteriorated a bit since 1896, the last time the Olympics were held in Greece.

Cousteau said building a new airport away from the urban centre of Athens and increasing public transportation are two ways officials there are trying to reduce pollution. But with the city located in a basin, much like Los Angeles, pollution has a way of hanging around. There is smog that covers the city, often obscuring the Parthenon from the sailing race course, and in Maroussi lies the Olympic Stadium, with the Olympic village further out in Attica.

Other features in this series
Introduction to weather and sailing in the Olympics
The Winds in Athens
Meteorological Support in Athens
Weather and Tactics

Back to Olympics 2004

Sailing and Weather
The Boat Race 2004
Being Weatherwise for sailing