Paris police authorities on Friday asked organizers to cancel this weekend’s Diamond League track and field meet, warning that the historic heat wave gripping France has pushed emergency services to a point where major public gatherings can no longer be safely staged, according to The Associated Press.
Sunday’s meet was set to feature some of the biggest names in the sport, including American sprinter Noah Lyles, Dutch hurdler Femke Bol and Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis. The police prefecture also asked organizers of a music festival and a Pride march scheduled for the same weekend to call off their events.
A heat wave without modern precedent
France has been baking since June 21. The Meteo France weather agency recorded an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius across 30 weather stations on Thursday, matching the record set the day before for the hottest day ever recorded nationwide.
More than three-quarters of the country has been placed under a red weather alert, the highest level on the French warning scale. It is the first time so much of France has been flagged at that level at once. For runners watching from afar, it is a reminder of the very real limits the body has when temperatures climb — and a reason to know when it is too hot to run outside.
The prefecture said the decision to ask for cancellations was driven by the need to keep emergency responders available for the people most at risk in the heat, particularly older residents and those with health conditions. If organizers do not voluntarily call off their events, the prefecture said it would be forced to issue an order requiring them to do so, the AP reported.
Organizers had planned an adapted meet
The French track and field federation, which runs the Paris Diamond League meeting, told The Associated Press on Friday that it had not yet received the order from police.
In a statement Thursday, organizers said they still intended to hold the competition in a modified format, with the field limited to top-tier athletes only.
“The safety of athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials and spectators remains our absolute priority. As a result, only elite athletes will be permitted to compete at the Paris Meeting, in accordance with this exemption. This adaptation ensures that the event can proceed while maintaining the highest possible standards of safety.”
Paris Diamond League organizers
Whether that adapted plan can survive the police request remained unclear as of Friday afternoon.
What it means for the athletes
The Paris meet is one of the most anticipated stops on the Diamond League calendar, the top annual circuit in international track and field. Lyles, the reigning Olympic 100-meter champion, Bol, a multiple world champion in the 400-meter hurdles, and Duplantis, the world record holder in the pole vault, were all on the entry list — and all on the shortlist for the latest round of World Athletics athlete of the year honors.
A cancellation would knock a major fixture out of the European summer season and force athletes to recalibrate their preparation as the road to the world championships continues. For now, the federation has not announced any change to the schedule beyond the elite-only restriction floated on Thursday.
The wider picture is starker. Outdoor events across Europe have been called off in recent days, schools have closed, transport has been disrupted, and office workers in several cities have been told to stay home. French authorities have issued repeated health alerts urging people to check on elderly neighbors and avoid exertion during the hottest hours of the day.
Start the conversation