Impacts of Climate on Outdoor Sports
The impacts of weather
on sport are varied, with some games or events unable to held while others are
changes considerably. The performance of athletes can be reduced and some
sporting world records are invalid if set under different weather conditions. The
outdoor games are most affected than indoor sports.
Temperature
Temperature has
significant effect on athlete’s performance. High temperature may cause
numerous heat illness such as heatstroke, heat cramps, on the other hand, low
temperature may lead to hypothermia. In skiing World Cup, races are postponed
if temperature in major portion is -25 centigrade or lower, while in biathlon
this limit extends to -20 Centigrade.
Training regimes may
include methods of heat acclimatization and regulations in some sport’s
stipulate intensity of schedules. In North America, the National Collegiate
Athletic Association NCAA requires teams to build up level of training in hot
weather. Such preparations and methods tend to improve athletes’ performance
and reduce the risk of heat stroke.
High temperature or
heat results in thinner air, that results in less drag on players in sports
where air resistance play a major role. Velodrome designers capitalize on this
issue, heating stadium in hope of making cycling faster, and The Daily
Telegraph has reported that Olympic Games organizers have pumped cool air into
velodromes to give opposite teams a disadvantage.
The last three decades
have been hottest since 1850, with more intense heat waves. These frequent heat
waves endanger the health of sportsmen and women and would disturb all sports
activities, ultimately affecting athlete’s performance. The ideal temperature
for sports involving high-intensity effort over short period is 23 centigrade
and 10 centigrade for prolonged efforts.
Precipitation
Some sports are
cancelled or postponed due to precipitation. Some are deemed too dangerous to
play when ground is damp because of danger of injury or some serious issue to
the player through slipping, while playing. When played professionally, the
given below sports don’t occur during any level of precipitation:
·
Auto racing
·
Baseball
·
Cricket
·
Tennis
·
Golf
Due to heavy rain, the
event may be cancelled or postponed because of waterlogged pitch. Winter sports
may be cancelled due to amount of snow on ground.
Visibility
Some sports cannot be
played due to insufficient light and may be proved dangerous or disadvantageous
to competitor. Cricket test match finishes when umpire decides that light
intensity is low and timing of this can be controversial. The difficulties of
playing match in low intensity of light is also disputed. Some evens are called
off due to heavy rain.
Rain
Gameplay or events are
often cancelled due to heavy rainfall. It is not to be confused with a type of
out in baseball, though baseball can be rained out. Delays or postpone due to
other kind of weather are named lightning delay, fog delay or thunderstorm
delay. A night game can be postponed if floodlight system fails. Sometimes,
spectators will be issued a ticket for make up event, known as a “rain check”.
Association football
normally plays on through rain, although matches can be cancelled if pitch becomes
over logged or there is risk of lightning in field area. If there is severe
rainfall during match, it can become a point of controversy whether match
should be cancelled. For example, on the final day of 1999-2000 Serie A season,
when Juventus had to play out a match against Perugia despite the pitch
appearing to be unplayable. Juventus lost match 1-0 on 2nd half.
Wind
Wind can blow the
equipment in sporting event, changing the direction of ball. In golf, the wind
may influence the way a shot is taken. A headwind can slow runners, while they
may gain wind assistance from tailwind. Some sports rely on presence of wind,
especially surface water sports.
Comments
Post a Comment