Athletes competing in extreme heat cannot be overlooked

On Jan. 18 and 19, temperatures in Melbourne, where the Australian Open is currently taking place, spiked at 104 degrees. An unforgiving heat wave brought about conditions that left even the best conditioned players physically drained and dangerously flirting with heat stroke.

The reality is, when temperatures reach those levels, any type of athletic activity – especially one competed on a heat-absorbing surface like a concrete hard-court – puts players’ lives in serious jeopardy.

Photo via Australian OpenBear in mind, during this two-day heat wave, games were played throughout the day, meaning many players were forced into playing with the sun’s debilitating heat pouring down onto them.…