Heat on agenda again at newly-built Tokyo 2020 hockey venue

Temperatures reached 37 degrees Celsius on Saturday but there were no reports of heat-stroke on the opening day.

With all the reports of heat-stroke, heat exhaustion, and deaths reported over the past couple of weeks, it is great to see that no one suffered on this one particular day. Perhaps they should have an opening day event everyday, in the last week of July / first week of August.

 Tokyo’s tricky summer climate.

Quit trying to sugar-coat a load of guano! Tokyo summer heat is not "tricky" it's just NOT the time to be having an Olympics, and no matter how hard the writer tries nothing will change that fact!

With all the reports of heat-stroke, heat exhaustion, and deaths reported over the past couple of weeks, it is great to see that no one suffered on this one particular day. Perhaps they should have an opening day event everyday, in the last week of July / first week of August.

You misunderstand something, no reports from the athletes at the events! In Tokyo that is another story!

Two volunteers carry portable water mist sprayers to help fans cool off during a women's hockey match between Japan and India at Oi Hockey Stadium, a venue for hockey at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, on Saturday.  Photo: AP/Jae C Hong

And after walking around in the sun, who in the right mind is going to want to get sprayed with over heated water from inside those cans?

They look more like the guys that spray pesticides!

I think that making forengers exhort themselves in abysmal conditions is a Japanese thing. Perhaps a race to build a railway through mountains might be an event?

Whole buildings got to have thousands of mist sprayers all over. The two men look like mosquito killers.

Oikawa san is right,European teams will perform not at the top with such weather.

From where we come from we don’t have such kind of weather.

Walk up to foreigners and start spraying a liquid over them and you can expect serious consequences... That is a potentially dangerous idea.

Why don't they just move the Olympics to October, like the 1964 Olympics? Or, maybe there is a lot of money to be made by certain parties solving the heat problem? Not that I'm being cynical.

Those misting things only serve to increase the humidity. They have them at the monorail station platform at Haneda. I moved away from them coz they were making me sweat even more. I'm afraid it is inevitable that people are going to become ill and most likely die during the Tokyo summer games. I wonder if those who do become ill will get a refund of the stupid prices they paid for tickets.

Coca Cola must be rubbing their hands in glee, as an Olympic partner they'll provide the only liquids for sale at the games. I'll be interested to see if they manage to get water fountains removed from the venues to boost sales of 'Lilt'.

They have them at the monorail station platform at Haneda. I moved away from them coz they were making me sweat even more. I'm afraid it is inevitable that people are going to become ill and most likely die during the Tokyo summer games. I wonder if those who do become ill will get a refund of the stupid prices they paid for tickets.

very true...the only way of cooling things down is to move the heat elsewhere. I see allot of these portable coolers, blowing out cool air, but for the heat exchanger, just blowing out the same heat, in the same space!

This is akin to trying to force a rock through a needle. Whys no one calling out the corruption involved in getting tokyo to become the venue?

The simplest solution is just for the spectators to stay at home. It's also by far the most eco solution. It solves the other problems with hotel rooms and train crowding. There are sports on worldwide pretty much every day. Go and watch them instead.

I saw a big mist sprayer last week outside the shopping center opposite Nagoya Dome. Some poor lad was standing there with a mop having to mop the ground at one minute intervals while apologizing in polite Japanese.

Can someone explain why the games are not held at a time of year when the weather is more pleasant? Perhaps their name should be changed to The Heat Games, or The Hot Games, or The Swelter Games.

I guess someone to forgot to mention that venue opened on time and on budget. I guess no one wants to hear about that.

I think that making forengers exhort themselves in abysmal conditions is a Japanese thing.

How many times does it have to be explained that the timing was decided in response to pressure from American television networks?

Saying this is a "Japanese thing" is an ethnic slur.

Further, 37 is not that bad. I've cycled 120 km in Japan (Tokyo - Kumagaya and back) when the temperature was at that level and I'm 72.

After the Olympics, the multi-purpose complex with continue to host hockey, soccer, lacrosse

Who knows how to play lacrosse

"How many times does it have to be explained that the timing was decided in response to pressure from American television networks?"

Fair enough. But knowing that pressure from the U.S. was going to make it impossible for the Olympics to be held at any time other than late July and early August, the Japanese delegation never should have put forth Tokyo as a candidate for host city. The only city in Japan that should have been considered was Sapporo. And furthermore, the IOC should have rejected Tokyo as the host, knowing full well that the Japanese authorities in their proposal were simply lying about the weather in Tokyo being ideal at that time of year for strenuous outdoor activities.

Fault lies on all sides for what could turn out to be a disastrous Summer Olympics in 2020. The Japanese are not blameless, but they're not the only ones responsible here.

Why don't they just move the Olympics to October, like the 1964 Olympics? Or, maybe there is a lot of money to be made by certain parties solving the heat problem? Not that I'm being cynical.

This was discussed (adnaseum) here a long time ago. They can't because then it hits up against the World Series in MLB, the NFL, and College Football, along with the Japanese pro league (baseball) playoffs as well.

The broadcasters (sponsors) who paid the cash for the rights, paid a huge amount of money, and literally dictated the timing to Tokyo.

@Yubaru I've heard something like that, but didn't realize the sponsors could put such great pressure on the Olympics.