Nike designed new gear to keep athletes cool in a warming world
Nike is today introducing new performance clothing that it claims to have designed with climate change in mind. It showed off its new Aero-FIT performance cooling technology, which it says will debut in football kits worn by Nike federations in 2026.
The company says the technology increases sweating efficiency by allowing greater air circulation between the skin and fabric. On the other hand, stuffy uniforms can prevent the body from cooling as sweat evaporates from the skin. Aero-FIT will allow for more than double the airflow compared to the brand’s existing sportswear, according to Nike. The new material will also be made entirely from textile waste, which addresses another climate problem since synthetic fabrics are made from fossil fuels.
The next FIFA World Cup will take place in 2026, and there are already concerns about the risks that heat exhaustion could pose to athletes and fans in the audience. The games will take place during the summer in Mexico, Canada and the United States. Of the 16 cities hosting matches, 14 are expected to be susceptible to extreme heat during the World Cup, the BBC reports.
“Today’s athletes are competing in a hotter, more humid world – and Nike is helping them set the pace,” says Nike’s announcement today.
