Tokyo Olympic organizers look for advice to battle heat next year

It wasn't Japan's choice to have the Olympics in August. It was the Olympic committee who needed to sell TV broadcasting rights and October was not good as it coincided with USA's major sports events and they could get more money in August.

instead of making all of this seem like rocket science, how about starting the whole thing in SEPTEMBER

Athlete's are trained professionals and it gives greater meaning to the winner of gold, silver and bronze. They must adapt.

Completely agree that the only sane solution is to move it to October/ November. The only downside is the “US networks” and I guess the US viewership. So the choice is to look good on paper to have it as scheduled and have many athlete and spectator casualties, or have a few upset US networks. But then, money talks and the Japanese will not want to change something once decided.

The Tokyo Summer Olympics of 2020 is certainly going to put a new spin on Survival of the Fittest.

*Doha's Khalifa Stadium is air-conditioned!!*

Why doesn't Japan's stadium have this technology?!

Because Doha is like that pretty much all year round whereas Japan is only absurdly hot for a couple of months. In those months there is no need to do athletics - up until now.

Reruns - Well don't hold it in October -- it's still too hot. November maybe?

the problem is not the heat. It is the unbearable humidity that will kill people in august.

@JeffLee

I often commute in Tokyo at around 6 a.m. In July and August I arrive in the office drenched in sweat. The early morning idea probably won't make a big difference.

Completely agree. The sun rises at 4:30 a.m. and it’s already hot then. I’ve gone running at 6 a.m. in summer and it’s not comfortable. Maybe they should hold the events from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. It’s still so humid at that time though...

Are they f'ing kidding? They've had years to look for advice and solutions for this problem. We're less than a year away and now they're all, Oh what should we do?

Good money after bad, and now people's health and lives are at stake. What a bed of snakes.

It will be fine. Have plenty of towels and cool water available for spectators. Be ready with efficient cool down protocols for athletes. Seoul and Beijing have hosted games under similar conditions.

Well don't hold it in October -- it's still too hot. November maybe?

Winning the bid at all costs was the prime objective, as it will be a huge cash cow for the privileged elite.

Actually taking care of the games/athletes/spectators was obviously a secondary consideration, which is confirmed clearly now with this news.

So, after five years of concentrated preparation and with less than a year to go they start to ask for advice. Does this mean all the time and money they have spent on discussions and initiatives were just a complete waste of time and money with lots of teeth sucking and failed ideas? I have some advice. Hold the games in October or November.

It's going to be an absolute disaster, their stubbornness in not moving it forward a month or two is going to go down in history

1964 October was the perfect timing, this time will be different as could have been and was predicted. The timing is not Japan's decision but one that is pushed by commercial and political interests. Why not ask Trump for some advice. He may come up with some original useful idea via twitter.

'Tokyo Olympic organizers look for advice to battle heat next year'

O.K. I'm done. at some point during the last decade we slipped into an alternate dimension of STUPID.

I can't do this anymore. I can't read headlines like this. Just apply some common sense, please.

as they have ignored everyone saying that having Olympics in Aug was a very bad idea, what miracle are they hoping for now with 10 months to go? Very stupid and unfortunately people will suffer from this.

LikeJeffLee says, it's just as bad overnight. There's no respite, and holding the marathon at 12 won't make much difference, plus the humidity actually increases at night.

The best thing is to have ambulances stationed at every street corner during the Olympics.

Get into a time machine and go back 50 years and fight against global warming that people knew about and looked the other way.

How about holding it somewhere else? Somewhere cooler? Fukushima?

The blame is not solely on Japan for these schedule. The Olympic committees are beholden to their big sponsors, esp. US TV to hold the games in summer. There would be too many clashes with US sports if the games were to be held later, leading to reduced income for the Lords of the Rings. And that's the kind of gold and silver that they don't want to lose!

Just teach them foreigners a bit of "gaman" and "gambarimas"...

I often commute in Tokyo at around 6 a.m. In July and August I arrive in the office drenched in sweat. The early morning idea probably won't make a big difference.

Just drink more .... pocari sweat?

It's going to be an absolute disaster, their stubbornness in not moving it forward a month or two is going to go down in history

So now they seek advice 10 months before. Golly gee Wally.

Doha's Khalifa Stadium is air-conditioned!!

Why doesn't Japan's stadium have this technology?!

For athletes competing inside the stadium at least, one would think it is a basic necessity in Tokyo.

Japanese people often tell me about how advanced Japan's technology is.

I'm sorry... the Olympics is showing it as quite backward.

That snow cooling attempt was ridiculous.

Move the Olympics to September?

@BackpackingNepal

Your are 100% correct. The Olympics during prime festival season sounds like a disaster. I'm sure Japan is thinking that it is the perfect time to showcase Japanese culture. But the already horrible movement situation with now an extra 2 million people sound like a disaster.

heat countermeasures

The best two I can think of is moving the event date or switching everything to indoor arenas.

Doha has been a disaster, and not just due to the heat - ironically, to meet European television schedules, most events are held at night - it's that no one wants to visit Dubai. Stadiums are mostly empty despite distribution of free tickets. Japan will likely fare better, but proactive measures are critical.

If Tokyo worries about heatwave so much, then Qatar 2022?

But still, it should open in October, because of lot of festivals in July August, Sep.

Give well priority more to local festivals than Olympics.