Team GB star slams organisers after Olympics forced into emergency rule change

One Team GB star has criticised the organisers after the Olympics were forced to make an emergency rule change.

So far, Team GB have won four golds, five silvers and four bronze medals.

On Tuesday night, the GB swimming team won their first gold of the games after James Guy, Tom Dean, Matt Richards and Duncan Scott successfully defended their 4x200m freestyle relay title.

However, earlier in the day, Great Britain’s number one male tennis player Jack Draper saw his Olympic dream go up in smoke.

Despite winning the first set, Draper eventually lost 7-6, 3-6, 2-6 to seventh seed American Taylor Fritz.

During the match, which was held at Roland Garros, the temperature soared to 34 degrees, forcing the organisers to bring in a rule change.

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As reported by The Sun, a statement from the International Tennis Federation read: “The latest Wet Bulb Globe Temperature reading has exceeded 30.1 Celsius, meaning that the modification of play rule is now in effect.

“Players in singles matches are entitled to a ten-minute break between the end of the second set and the beginning of the third set. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature measures heat stress in direct sunlight which also takes into account wind speed, cloud cover and the angle of the sun.”

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Speaking after his defeat, Draper, who struggled in the Parisian heat, criticised the organisers, he said: “I said to the referee, ‘It’s pretty poor that the players have to drink hot water when we’re playing in those conditions’.

“We did have ice towels and stuff but usually it’s important that we have good fridges to keep our water cool. It’s so tough to recover when you’re just not replenishing properly and all those sorts of things. There’s no escape from the heat. Even at the change of ends.”

Fritz added: “It's hard to find cold water out here. I found the [bottles] on the court maybe a bit colder than everywhere else, but it's tough to get some cold water out there.”