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Air pollution at Olympic venues in Paris found to be above safe levels

According to a French regulator, 95 percent of sports venues in the Paris region exceed air quality recommendations from the World Health Organization.

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According to Respire (“Breathe”), which conducted research into air quality at locations around the French capital, virtually all sports fields in the Paris region are exposed to excessive air pollution.

The results published this week show that “almost all” of the locations with the highest pollution are located near the Paris ring road.

According to the study, which used data from French air monitoring service Airparif, the “vast majority” of the 112 sports centres surveyed in Paris and its suburbs have air pollution levels above the maximum levels recommended by the WHO.

“Pollution spikes can prevent athletes from performing at their peak and can cause asthma attacks and even dizziness,” the report said. This is especially true in the summer months, when pollution levels are highest.

Pollution hotspots

The open-air sports field at Porte d’Asnières between Paris and Levallois-Perret was the most polluted in 2023. The ring road is just 10 metres from the athletics track and football fields.

“There are a lot of cars driving around and a lot of dust flying around, so that’s not good at all,” says Adèle, who goes running there twice a week.

“I cough, it itches in my throat and then it can turn into an asthma attack,” she told news channel Franceinfo.

Another local resident, Anatole, plays football every week near the ring road. He said the pollution affects his performance: “I don’t play for very long and when I smell the pollution I get a bit dizzy.”

Report warns of extreme heat at Paris Olympics

Athletes at risk

“When you exercise, you breathe in four to 10 times more pollutants than when you stand still,” says Tony Renucci, CEO of Respire.

This can increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

“If there is a pollution peak during the Olympic Games, we must ask ourselves whether we should postpone certain disciplines,” he warned.

Mapping of pollution in the Paris metro reveals three stations in red

The organizers have pointed out the air problems in the capital with a sign: the Olympic Village, also built near the ring road in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen, has been equipped with air purifiers for the first time.

Five experimental outside air filters have been installed to filter hazardous particles.

The village welcomed the first of 10,000 Olympians on Thursday, ahead of the start of the Olympic Games in Paris on July 26.

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