Hot fuss: 2 years out, fears linger over Tokyo's toasty Olympics

At the moment I'm more worried about a Mascot collapsing in those suits. Breathing must be difficult.

Not a peep about the thousands of spectators who will be sitting or standing in the hot sun for prolonged periods.

No need to worry about spectators, they will get a free hand fan each. Perhaps a small towel. As the Athlete in the article says they feel climate will be an advantage to there goal of winning gold. That's sportsmanship?

5 year ago,

Olympics bid of Japan was full of deceive such as "Japan's July and August is Warm and Ideal" "Fukushima radiation is under control".

The outdoor Japanese athletes will have an advantage since they'll probably be the only ones left alive.

"We'll be more used to the heat and humidity than many of the foreign athletes," 

This is the secondary reason why they are not going to change the dates. The intense heat is something SOME athletes here are slightly more used to, and I genuinely believe, as this athlete does, that the weather will give Japan a chance to medal while it may kill or just stifle others. It won't be a legitimate test of athleticism, it'll be simply a home advantage. Imagine if athletes from extremely cold, windy country had insisted events had gone on as scheduled in SK last year because "We had a better chance!" That's what this is, but worse.

As for the idea that you can combat heat like you can terrorism, Koike needs a smack if she is honestly so stupid and insulting to people who have suffered terrorist attacks. It's perhaps not coincidentally reminiscent of former Tokyo Governor Ishihara's claim that he'll destroy pollen if voted in again. Maybe the Governor has had her brain fried by the heat.

But, they'll never change it. If it ends up being as hot or hotter than now, which is highly likely, people will die, and Japan will say, "How could we have known?" I'm sure the organisers, rather than even contemplate moving things now that bids on broadcasting rights are out and completed in some cases, would rather pray and hope.

This athlete seems to forget, at this level they do climate training before, well before an event this big. Advantage might not be as it appears.

Cancel or move half to Osaka.

organisers finally appear to have things under control -- although serious concerns remain over Japan's deadly summer heat.

Serious concerns. And that is what they will remain. They will stubbornly do the events in mid July and ignore ALL warnings. I mean, EVERYONE says they should be moved but nooooo, a couple of old oyaji care more about money and winning gold medals. Japan's omotenashi at work here. bah

Always watch young kids forced to do sport. Now over 36 degrees. Does this make them stronger? Check the combini...

I’m sure when they bid for the Olympics, the people in charge (Mori and Blinky) had no idea a summer in Tokyo would be hot. I’m sure they are shocked, I tell you, shocked all the way to the bank.

The organisers should move the event to the month when the 1964 Summer Olympic took place in Tokyo, October.

toasty?

No no no. This weather isn't toasty. Toasty is when you put warm socks on your cold feet after you get in from the shops on a Saturday evening in January, and rub your icy fingertips together by the fireplace.

This heat is hellish.

Cancel or move half to Osaka

Yes, that famously cool and breezy quaint Japanese town.

While Olympic organisers remain under pressure to come up with ways to beat the heat, Japanese athletes will not be complaining if gets a little toasty.

Yeah, with the infamous 'gaman' attitude, I'm pretty sure they won't complain at all until they suddenly collapsed, a recipe for disaster

Seriously, with the rising temperatures, it may be time to question rather having the Olympics in the summer at all is a good idea. Why not make it a spring time event? Autumn is storm season in a lot places so spring would be best.

Why is everything based on the Olympics? Nobody will care and they will forget Tokyo had the Olympics, much like all of you forgot every previous olympics. Does anyone remember the London Olympics or even care anymore? The same thing will happen in 2020.

Would someone give me three reasons why the Olympics were not scheduled for October like the 1964 Olympics. Just wonder how many outdoor events there are, but imagine it is quite a few! I want to volunteer

for the Olympics, but could not be working outside as I will be 72 then.

@kitzrow

Only one reason: money.

Follow the trail through TV schedules to major American sport fixtures.

The Olympics get in the way. If athletes die, so be it.

The Abe govt just doesn't get it. This game is about logistics and population. Forget about selfish reason for being advantageous as a host, millions will be moving in and out daily and their comfortabilities should be the concern.

I'm sure the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will create many new world records. New world records for the most athletes and spectators being hospitalised for heat stroke and the most deaths from heat stroke in a single Olympics. It's absolutely ridiculous to hold the games in the hottest part of the year. People are going to die because of this decision.

They are being held those dates under pressure from US broadcaster NBC. Other dates will crossover with rival sports events in the states. Same reason the swimming finals have been set for the morning instead of evening, to be shown prime time in the US. Money talks. Not really fair to criticize Japan, ire should be directed at NBC

It's not Japan's fault that the Olympics will be held at this stupid time of year, it's all about how much money the IOC hopes to wring out of media interests who insist that is the time THEY will make the most money out of it. In other words, the games and the athletes are low down the pecking order. Japan would have been happy to hold the games in October as in 1964, but they had no say in the timing.

another puff piece. Tokyo needs a reality check if it thinks threatening the death of people is a design plus

Stock up on your Pocari Sweat! If they run out you'll be able to sell it for a tidy profit.

I'd be interested to know what the various sports associations who sanction the games have in terms of a health regulation on the upper limit temperature to play their sport before being called off, or if they have any at all

Swimming and indoor games will be fine, running and sports outside will be brutal. Beach volleyball alone the sand will be lava.

Personally I think the big risk is to the spectators, not the athletes, especially if they have to line up for hours to check bags for weapons and other naughty things like bentos, non-Budweiser beers, and whatever drink it is your kids like. The saving grace might be that relatively few people are actually going to come from overseas to watch the Olympics. I'm sure there will be fantastic projections of hoards of people on paper somewhere, but I don't believe them for one second. Japan is very good at projecting huge amounts of demand when there is a chance for the construction industry to build something.

Foreign tourism to Japan actually fell during the Football World Cup in 2002. I doubt it'll be that bad, but I wouldn't be surprised if what Olympic tourism there is replaces a drop in regular tourists from the Asian countries. Most of them would surely wait a few weeks rather than pay inflated prices.

Stock up on your Pocari Sweat! If they run out you'll be able to sell it for a tidy profit.

That's made by a Japanese company called Otsuka. The official drink will be Aquarius, owned by Coca-Cola. Pocari will not get a look in.

I thought that it was the stupid govt that made the decision to have the Olympics in the hottest season available of the year. Now some insiders revealed that it wasn't the govt fault. It made the govt even more stupid then. Just think about it, the electricity consumed on the air conditioners, the overtime spend by the low performance workers, the possibility of empty seats, the hospital cost for the heat victims, for every bottle of drink that keep people from dehydration, there are 5 bottles more water needed to flush it away from toilets. This game isn't going to be green, the waste is huge because the stupid govt doesn't calculate.

ishel: "Japan would have been happy to hold the games in October as in 1964, but they had no say in the timing."

Hogwash! Nippon Professional Baseball put their foot down when they learned that holding it in October would mean a ratings competition for the end of the season and potentially the Climax Series and Nippon Series Championship. How can Japan try to put ringers on the Olympic team they are engaged in the peak of their regular schedules?

Foreign tourism to Japan actually fell during the Football World Cup in 2002.

Did it really? I didn't know that. I'm not doubting you @kohaku, but do you have a link to that?

Nippon Professional Baseball put their foot down when they learned that holding it in October would mean a ratings competition for the end of the season and potentially the Climax Series and Nippon Series Championship.

Now that is interesting! Seems like a lot of interests are trying to get these Olympics held in the most unreasonable of seasons.

This game isn't going to be green, the waste is huge because the stupid govt doesn't calculate.

Fair point, the energy needed for this and Koike's cooling measures are going to be immense.

Some good stuff on here tonight.

I seem to remember concern in 1970 when the World Cup was hosted in Mexico City, which is at high altitude.

I guess that you can change a date much easier than you can move a city.

Don't think the swimmers need to worry about the heat. Let's hear from the Japanese marathoners and other endurance athletes!

Among all the games, the Olympics is the most privileged and of international importance, and should be treated as such. Masuzoe went to Beijing for the Olympics when he was the governor, why the current governess refuses to do so is beyond hopeless.

Aoi AzuuriJuly 24  04:49 pm JST - 5 year ago, Olympics bid of Japan was full of deceive such as "Japan's July and August is Warm and Ideal" "Fukushima radiation is under control".

While there may be some truth to that, it's not as if the selection committee was incapable of doing a little research to check on the average temps in the areas bidding. Google was around way back in, what, 2013, when Tokyo was chosen.

Big event such as the Olympics is all about logistics. Only the most stupid govt would arrange the Game in the most unbearable reason of the year. By simply shifting the date by one month, huge savings and better performances would be anticipated. It is very difficult to imagine that people of 40 years ago are much smarter than the current generation, given the technologies and supercomputing methods we have today.

Come on Japan change the date and show that you have a little logic rolling around please!!!

Akie

It is very difficult to imagine that people of 40 years ago are much smarter than the current generation, given the technologies and supercomputing methods we have today.

on the contrary, back in 1964 they cared about human beings and the Olympics was a celebration of human achievement. Today they are unconcerned with the plight of people and obey the commands of their computers because it might impede another corporation

ClippetyClop

The 2002 Football World Cup was cohosted by South Korea, so there was a large drop in Korean visitors to Japan. Only three or four countries brought significant numbers of fans to Japan. England, Ireland, and Mexico were the top three, if I remember it correctly. So the loss in Korean tourists was larger than the increase in football fans.

Admittedly, that was back in the days when you couldn't mention travel to Japan without some idiot coming out with "Five pounds for a coffee!" scaring Westerners off. If Japan had hosted the World Cup this summer in place of Russia, tens of thousands would have come from all over the world.

(Japan has had Doutor selling coffee for 200 yen since well before 2002)

The IOC members should try out conditions by attempting a half marathon!

If they all finish then by all means continue the olympics in 2020.