With thousands of athletes set to arrive in the French capital in the coming days, the local charity Respire shared its findings showing high air pollution levels at sports fields situated across Paris.

Using data from the air monitoring service Airparif, the study concluded that the "vast majority" of the 112 sports centres it looked at have air pollution above the maximum levels recommended by the World Health Organisation.

This includes the 2024 Olympic Village in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen which sits next to a busy eight-lane highway.

The report comes after numerous athletes, including 800-meter world record holder David Rudisha, have spoken out about the necessity of clean air for athletes.

"Spikes in pollution can prevent sports people from reaching elite performance levels and cause asthma attacks and even dizzy spells," read the report.

Around 40 low-rise towers make up the village where 14,250 athletes will stay during the Olympic Games followed by over 8,000 athletes during the Paralympic Games. 

The first wave of 10,000 Olympians is scheduled to arrive on Thursday ahead of the start of the Olympic Games next week on 26 July.

The Paris Olympics bid to offer “pioneering environmental standards” includes several giant air purifiers situated in the Olympic Village which have been compared to UFOs. 

The giant parabolas, which will reportedly remain where they are after the Olympics, were developed by the French company Aérophile and erected in the most highly polluted areas of the French capital.