Heat-shy Australians mull Athens ice vests
SYDNEY (AFP) – Australian Olympic swimmers will be armed with ice vests to beat the heat if a planned roof for the Athens outdoors pool is not completed in time for the Games, head coach Leigh Nugent said yesterday. Nugent said the ice jackets would reduce heat stress on athletes if the worst-case scenario eventuates – no roof and temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit). Greece admitted last week that the roof project was in limbo, and that an alternative solution will have to be found, after the contractors chosen to build it said they could not carry out the project. [But government officials dismissed the question of the shelter as «a very minor issue.»] [International Swimming Federation (FINA) officials have insisted that the shelter must be built, both to facilitate TV coverage and to protect swimmers and spectators from the scorching August sun.]
