Sports
World Rowing proposes a five-color heat scale
Guidelines dated June 26, 2026, propose five WBGT heat levels, from green to black, with actions for organizers at each level.
Regattas, or rowing competitions, take place outdoors, so the weather can matter as much as the water. In June 2026, World Rowing, the sport's international federation, updated its heat safety guidelines for regattas and other events. The document is dated June 26 and was posted on the federation's website in July. It describes its main changes as proposals, and the most important one is a new five-level heat scale, with a color for each level.
Heat has become a bigger concern for rowing in recent years. In a 2022 article, World Rowing explained that rowing, as an outdoor sport, feels the effects of climate change, which is expected to bring more heat waves. It also noted that the international regatta season takes place mostly in summer. At the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China, for example, the federation reported humidity routinely above 80 percent and temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.
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To move an event or activity to a later time.
At black, racing and on-water training should be suspended or postponed, unless there is an exceptional reason and full medical protection is in place.