Heat is on Tokyo 2020 organizers to combat high temperatures

I went for a run this morning at 5am and it was 27 degrees, the humidity was awful and there was zero breeze.

Competing or being a spectator in full sun? You would seriously have to pay me to attend such an event. The athletes unfortunately have no choice b/c the organizers care more about money than their well being. You want to stage summer Olympics in July-August--ok. Do them in Sapporo.

The way to handle the heat? - Move these games to October. Better yet, move them to Oct 10th to show you still have good common sense like Japan used to back in '64.

Japan and common sense are no longer two words that can be used in the same sentence!

There is NOTHING they can do to stop the heat, but to combat the effects for both spectators and athletes, they only things they can do is spend more damn money!

this Mori guy is worthless

Disaster... Heat, dead man organising an event that he probably won't see. Marathon will be the most survival game ever. And apparently it's a turning point for Japan's economy?

Doubt that.

Contingency plans for hospitals to cope with the crowds of people being brought in with heatstroke, please. Many of which may be unable to understand Japanese.

the japanese way of handling the heat: complain about how hot it is but still keep the AC at 28 degrees.

What kind of joke is it ? Only Japan can make weather broadcast for two years later.

The first step to alleviating the heat is NOT to wear a western style suit or tie in the summer here yet almost all male workers do

I wonder what is the rationale behind holding the Olympics during the hottest summer period? So that it will be in sync with summer holiday period to make the event full of spectators? I'm curious...

Close the aqua line and have them run up and down that a few times -

Marathon problem solved

Bid for Olympics / World Cup, worry about intractable climate problems after you've won it. I'm surprised Singapore hasn't won the winter olympics yet.

Cutting down trees in Ochanomizu is NOT the was to reduce heat. Start planting full-size trees everywhere there is even a tiny space.

What Speed said!

The weather will be a killer for the athletes! Why didn’t the IOC take every bit of detail into consideration before awarding the Olympic Games to Japan. The same with FIFA award the World Cup 2022 to Qatar! With the adverse heat the athletes won’t be in a position give it their 100% and as a result not many records will fall. But the IOC officials don’t care much about the athletes health. All they want is the hush hush money that they got while awarding the games to Tokyo!

Yes, what Speed said. They can still move the Olympics to October. Not only the athletes, but the spectators will also be better off.

Here's what I've heard and I suspect it is part of the reason. Abe said October is no good because the Americans will be watching World Series Baseball. It's all about money.

The Japanese government and the Tokyo metropolitan government are planning to lay pavements that emit less surface heat and plant taller roadside trees.

Sure add another billion yen to the costs.

"The spectators as well as the athletes have to be taken care of," Coates said. "The timing of the marathon and road walks will be as early as possible as they have been in previous games to beat the heat."

I'm not sure but I think, moving the event two months later is much cheaper. And Mori, please retire already.

All athletes at 2020 Tokyo Olympics are expected to have the spirit of Japan high school baseball players at Koshien in fierce heat of August.  Have fun!

... therefore we need to assure there is a large space for the athletes to rest in an air-conditioned area...

Great idea! Turn that aircon down to a generous 28 degrees! But only once the outside temps hit about 38!

AgentX what is this idea 28 degrees? agreed, I still for the life of me have no idea why 28 degrees is comfortable it's an air conditioner so using it, is using it ,22 degrees but apparently under 30 degrees requires blankets on the legs.

AgentX what is this idea 28 degrees?

Fair point! 32 degrees aircon would be far more economical...!

Interesting they keep talking about ways to combat the heat, but have they considered how the hospitals are going to handle the inevitable thousands (possibly tens of thousands) spectators and athletes who are going to suffer heat stroke? Holding the games in the hottest and most humid time of year is the most stupid idea of stupid ideas ever! I seriously doubt if there will be any records broken in the track and field events, unless it's record for the most athletes to be hospitalised, of course.

there may well be deaths if not among the athletes then among the spectators. Its insane.

On the subject of trees, I've seen a number of Japanese streets lined with sycamores like in London or Paris. A sycamore has blotchy bark with greys and pinks and Canadian flag-like leaves. Anyway, the point is that they grow absolutely huge. Since Japanese streets are far narrower than in grand old European cities, this results in them being butchered into unsightly stumpy trunks.

Full-size sycamores can be seen in Shinjuku Gyoen.

The solution is to plant narrower, more upright trees that spread less. One example would be katsura, which are upright trees with small, heart shaped leaves that generally go bright yellow in autumn.

They'll change the rules after an athlete dies from the heat

Funny there was a similar story a few months ago. I said the same thing as Speed but had a mostly negative response. I agree completely what he or she said. We were going to go to the 2020 Olympics but remember being o Japan 15 years ago in July, hated it too hot. Spring and fall loved it in Japan, the 2020 Olympics Should be in October.

Schopenhauer: "All athletes at 2020 Tokyo Olympics are expected to have the spirit of Japan high school baseball players at Koshien in fierce heat of August."

More of the hogwash about Japanese people and a special "gaman spirit", I see. How's that help the THOUSANDS who suffer heatstroke, including kids playing baseball, Schopenhauer?

No, the obvious would have been to hold it NOT in summer, but since the National baseball League demanded it not be held in October because it would interfere with ratings, they chose the dead of summer. No amount of planning is going to stop this from being a debacle.

Move the games to Sept or Oct? It is literally that simple.

The head of an IOC inspection team says organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will explore all options to combat the extreme summer heat that will likely prevail in the Japanese capital during the games.

Move the event to October as was the case for the 1964 Games. All other "options" are really meaningless

AgentX thankyou, it's hot so I use the air conditioner well below 28 degrees. Maybe winter 28 degree. There is no way I'm going to Tokyo in the height of summer to watch professional athletes battle humidity, heat, best observed under the air conditioning drinking and hopefully remembering none of it. Apparently 2020 will usher in a new bubble for Japan... A bottom bubble is my guess.

I'm wondering if the various sports associations will allow their athletes to compete in such high temperatures? Do they not have a health limit?

@kohakuebisu - The solution is to plant narrower, more upright trees that spread less. One example would be katsura, which are upright trees with small, heart shaped leaves that generally go bright yellow in autumn.

Yeah, and to plant trees this week that will grow to a mature 4-6m tall in the next two years. It's just not gonna happen, but dreams are free!

SchopenhauerToday 09:02 am JST

All athletes at 2020 Tokyo Olympics are expected to have the spirit of Japan high school baseball players at Koshien in fierce heat of August. Have fun!

smithinjapanToday 12:59 pm JST

How's that help the THOUSANDS who suffer heatstroke, including kids playing baseball, Schopenhauer?

Haha! I missed that one. I guess the people who fall from heat stroke and die every year just haven't got the high school baseball player spirit...

Shame on them.

given the crazy high school sports events in 40C weather and humidity and the general lack of understanding of what heat stroke is, Tokyo's 2020 volunteers are going to be dropping out if not needing to be hospitalized

Volunteers will only be able to take so much before they will need to quit. I doubt anyone will be thinking of the welfare of their people given crass concepts of overtime especially as less important than acquiescing to the World Series in another country. Huh?

Just a sad state of affairs we can all see two years away

I just really hope no one dies

It will be aaaalll about saving face and looking good at the expense of many residents and citizens of Japan. And because these people WILL foot the bill (figuratively and literally) - Japan will come out looking good as usual. Any human rights abuses or embarrassments will be quickly hidden and forgotten. Meanwhile, the people (who footed the bill) will continue to suffer and become poorer.

Just move the Games to October FFS. People, athletes and visitors, will die otherwise. I'm waiting for the authorities to come out with some rubbish about how AI and robots will solve the problem, it's always the answer to everything else in Japan.

Tokyo 2020 is going to end up being an example of what NEVER to do again in this respect. There is no way these people can come up with any sort of advice or preventative measures that will help. And there is no way in hell Japan will even think of changing dates, even if the gods themselves came out and said during the planned Olympics dates they will rain down natural disasters on Japan, they would only form committees to hold meetings about discussing it then not do it and claim they could not possibly have known.

Most sports throughout the World are seasonal right?? Traditional codes such as Rugby, Football, American Football & Basketball are played in their respective hemispheres in Winter, why are they pushed through summer here especially in Junior High School activities? Ive had my son go through 2 bouts of heatstroke already in rugby training..

Was 41 degrees here at 4:00 p.m. in my town. I walked home from work, about 20 minutes (at 6:00 p.m.). Sun was behind the buildings by that time, and thank god it was because I'm quite sure that would have been heat stroke if it had not been. I'm quite sure tomorrow's stories are going to feature record high temps and probably more hundreds of cases of people being rushed to the hospital due to it. It's only the first half of July.

Lunar turner. Why would you let your son have two bouts of heat stroke in one season?