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Esports just joined the growing list of sporting activities in the UK to be put on hold due to the effects of climate change. Numerous sports events have already been canceled or postponed in a bid to protect the players from being harmed by the current heat wave moving across the country.
In a similar manner, Hyperluxe, an esports tournament platform, just announced its decision to fix the preplanned Apex Legends tournament at a later date. The game was initially supposed to take place on July 19 for players in the EU.
Hyperluxe is based in North America and came into the Apex Legend tournament organizing scene not long ago. The organization is currently searching for ways to spread its reach to the EU. The new date for the weekly tournament was revealed to be on July 24, “in hopes that all of our competitors can play their best in a comfortable and safe environment.”
The esports platform made the announcement on its Twitter page, citing its players’ health and safety as its most significant concerns. The post read, “Due to the unbearable temperature in the UK, we will be postponing today’s event until everyone can compete comfortably. The health and safety of our participants is our top priority.”
A Hyperluxe representative revealed that the organization’s decision to move the date of the event came as a result of feedback from staff in the U.K. According to the team, their PC setup emitted so much heat that it was likened to an undesired space heater in an already stuffy and hot room. They also revealed that acquiring air conditioners for the event competitors’ comfort would be unachievable because it wasn’t a necessity in the previous matches.
While the thought of competing remotely would be the best form of action as players can compete from the comfort of their bedrooms during this heatwave. However, air conditioning is uncommon in the United Kingdom, and most buildings are not designed to withstand high temperatures, thereby giving occupants an uncomfortable experience.
Also, setting up multiple PCs in one location during a heatwave like this can produce disastrous outcomes. This is because, on a typical day, PCs generate a lot of heat and make gaming setups unbearably hot; pairing that up with the already dangerously hot weather would only spell disaster.
The Met Office sent out an amber weather alert on Monday, notifying people in the UK of the extreme heat that would occur across certain parts of the country. The warning also included possible higher temperatures this week. The alert warned that the scorching temperatures could possibly “lead to serious illness or danger to life not limited to those most vulnerable.”
The forecaster, Simon Partridge, announced, “Parts of southeast England could exceed 35°C on Sunday. At the moment, we are looking at a 30% chance of seeing the hottest temperature recorded in the UK.”
The warning by the Met Office is in full effect on Sunday from 12.01 am till 11.59 pm. The temperature will reportedly rise to the 30s around then. Monday and Tuesday were forecast to have temperatures of 40 degrees, surpassing the highest heat record in England, 38.7°C, in 2019.
Sporting activities that decided to refrain from canceling their events, like UEFA for the Women’s Euro 2022 last round of group games, have implemented intervals for their players and match officials to cool off.
