tokyo 2020 olympics

Tokyo Olympics: Pandemic, heat ... and now a typhoon's en route

45 Comments
By JENNA FRYER

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The Tokyo Olympics, delayed by the pandemic and opened under oppressive heat, is due for another hit of nature’s power: a typhoon arriving Tuesday morning that is forecast to disrupt at least some parts of the Games.

Who's planning, pushing and approving Olympics?

2 ( +7 / -5 )

July and August in Japan are notoriously hot and humid. Japan has faced criticism for not accurately describing the severity and instead, during the bidding process, calling it mild and ideal.

"not accurately describing" = lied

But by the time organizers started realizing 2 or 3 yers ago how oppressive the heat was and how this would dangerously effect the athletes, the schedule was already set in stone and impossible to change.

I remember how before they moved the marathon to Sapporo, there was a plan to have all shops and offices along the route to open all their window and doors and blast their air-con to max. Seriously, that was actually being considered.

But with these fixed mid-summer dates, it would have taken some sort of major world disruption to ever have the opportunity to re-schedule the Games for a different date when the weather was better...

15 ( +18 / -3 )

Amongst other ‘important’ things:

Japan has faced criticism for not accurately describing the severity” -

5 ( +8 / -3 )

The last Tokyo olympics in 1964 were held in the middle of October for these exact reasons. Why wasn't the same done this time?

11 ( +14 / -3 )

The "extreme" conditions are normal by Japanese standards - oppressive heat broken only by occasional typhoons. Gotta laugh when foreign journalists say, "Tokyo is being hit by a heat wave."

In fact, it's actually been a bit cooler than usual for this time of year. I wonder about the Paralympics, which take place in August, at the height of the hot season.

12 ( +16 / -4 )

I hope the athletes are OK.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

What was one the phrases often touted, "athletes first?" Y'all are a lucky that spectators have been banned, there would have been tourists collapsing all over Tokyo. Abe and the JOC bidding committee lied about the ideal conditions. Now all you need is an earthquake.

12 ( +14 / -2 )

A quote from the bid:

“With many days of mild and sunny weather, this period provides an ideal climate for athletes to perform their best.”

I've mentioned this here before, but the IOC could have googled it, but I guess their views were obscured with all that cash flying around.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

What’s next…earthquake, Tsunami, Mt. Fuji erupting? In all seriousness, one or two typhoons we’re definitely expected during the Olympics and the officials knew this!

7 ( +10 / -3 )

In fact, it's actually been a bit cooler than usual for this time of year.

You think? I can't say I've noticed. It's only comfortable outside before about 10:30 in the morning and from around 4-5 in the afternoon. Between those times, forget it.

Then again everyone has a different tolerance to heat...

4 ( +7 / -3 )

A quote from the bid:

“With many days of mild and sunny weather, this period provides an ideal climate for athletes to perform their best.”

I've mentioned this here before, but the IOC could have googled it, but I guess their views were obscured with all that cash flying around.

In the unlikely event that they are ever called out on this by anyone of import, they'll just blame the translator for missing the beautiful nuances of the Japanese language.

13 ( +16 / -3 )

“The last Tokyo olympics in 1964 were held in the middle of October for these exact reasons. Why wasn't the same done this time?”

NBC doesn’t want the Olympics happening during the NFL football season.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

@Michael O'Dereiter

That's definitely possible, in that hypothetical situation, but the excuse might not be limited to do translation itself but the semantics of "mild". I've had locals lament for all the poor "foreign" athletes who will be affected by this weather as though hot weather didn't exist elsewhere and didn't affect everyone.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The last Tokyo olympics in 1964 were held in the middle of October for these exact reasons. Why wasn't the same done this time?

IOC decided July and August. Japan wanted games in October but it was refused by IOC. October is the best season in Japan, not hot, not humid at the time.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Wind and rain? I will take it. Anything is better than the blazing sun. The typhoon pratically came calling for the surfers.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

NO PROBLEM, When the going gets tough, The tough gets going. They were made for this. LOL

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I'll take anything other that the direct sun, actually the Typhoon wind is much more welcomed, it feels great.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The major networks in the US weren't going to have it any other way. July-August is the slow season for sports. October is baseball playoffs and college football/NFL season. It's all about ratings

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Taifu almost always makes waves junk and bad for surfing. But if this stays way offshore and moves more North they can get some good swell.

Personally, I like the heat. Get in two hours exercise rain or shine, and then return home about 11 am to catch rays outside and study. . . unless I jump on a train and go to the beach. Good swell here yesterday.

The IOC and NBC knew it would be really hot. But they only saw dollars.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Japan wanted games in October but it was refused by IOC.

Not quite. When Japan bid for the 2016 Games (in 2007 under Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara) the JOC asked for an autumn games. The IOC said no, and also added that only July/August bids would be considered for any summer games in the future, hence the ludicrous nonsense about "mild and sunny weather perfect for athletes" in the Tokyo 2020 bid.

Everybody knows it's not true but the IOC was so keen to have Tokyo as host, and the JOC was so keen to be host, that they just looked the other way.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Anyone who thinks the weather in Tokyo during the summer is is "mild and ideal" is severely disillusioned. Don't blame this on Japan, the Olympic committee new full well what weather is like during the summer, not to mention that Athlete's have been competing in Japan during the summer for years. No sympathy on this one.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

I guess we're not going to discuss exactly what a marathon runner is supposed to do with a bag of ice?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Athletes shouldn't complain about the weather, one of the most excuse they come with. They should just keep playing if they think they are the real athletes.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Everybody knows it's not true but the IOC was so keen to have Tokyo as host, and the JOC was so keen to be host, that they just looked the other way.

It seems to me Japan had no other choice at that time and had to take what IOC decided as host of Olympics. In July-August Japanese athletes are no problem but very very bad for foreign athletes. That is all about it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted this the other day:

https://uk.yahoo.com/sports/news/japan-lied-about-the-weather-and-now-olympians-are-paying-the-price-010612634.html

Key sentence:

“With many days of mild and sunny weather, this period provides an ideal climate for athletes to perform their best.”

This quote comes from Japan’s official proposal to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Oops, someone above has already posted this. Anyway, has Mount Fuji exploded yet?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Mr. Bach was well aware of Japanese weather when he awarded them the Summer Olympics.

Yep. He was also well aware of Japan's fiscal situation, if you know what I mean.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

“With many days of mild and sunny weather, this period provides an ideal climate for athletes to perform their best.”

It sounds like this is as long as in October. July-August is harsh for foreigners never lived in Japan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Pretty upbeat article, given how scathing the international media is right now about Japan having LIED about the weather in July in order to secure the bid (among the myriad of other lies). Didn't one politician quip a couple years back, before Corona became the biggest threat, that the heat could give local athletes, who are more used to it, an edge?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

July-August is harsh for foreigners never lived in Japan.

There are foreigners who actually do come from / live in countries hotter than Japan; did you know that?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

July-August is harsh for foreigners never lived in Japan.

July-August is also harsh for Japanese. This is the season of constant heat warnings on NHK, water-drinking advisories and stay-home advisories and rising numbers of hospitalizations across Japan.

Mr. Bach was well aware of Japanese weather when he awarded them the Summer Olympics.

How do you know? I can never convince my friends in Canada about the brutality of Japanese summers. They associate Japan mostly with snow-covered ski resorts.

Most Japanese also brag they've got the best climate in the world, which doesn't help matters.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The way the Earth is heating up, where will we be able to hold Summer Olympics, in the future? For example, Seattle and Vancouver recently had temperatures of 43 C, or 110 F, something unheard of until recently. Seems to me that many cities which had the Summer Olympics in the past might be too hot today to hold them safely.

Which makes me wonder, were high temperatures and humidity in Ancient Greece part of the reason why athletes competed naked?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

If the money-grubbing IOC was determined to have the Games in July or August, perhaps the JOC could have chosen a more suitable host city, such as Sapporo or the very-deserving Sendai, to be the host city.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

xamurai:

Complain, complain and lots of complaints! Vancouver and Sochi didn't have enough snow for winter Olympics but they were both successful.

I've never heard of anyone dying because of lack of snow.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Weather the storm and win more medals!

Use the weather as your advantage, the Olympics already started, pointless to stop it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Feels like we’re trying to prepare for bloody everything,” said New Zealand rugby sevens player Andrew Knewstubb.

At least be grateful to the Japanese hospitality.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Dango bong

For me, it's an archery competition.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It is called the summer Olympic for a reason. We all know the risks. Athletes are generally trained for various conditions. Stop complaining. enjoy the Games and support the athletes, organizers, volunteers and all others for their extraordinary efforts in this extraordinary circumstance.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If the money-grubbing IOC was determined to have the Games in July or August, perhaps the JOC could have chosen a more suitable host city, such as Sapporo or the very-deserving Sendai, to be the host city.

Tokyo only can afford to hold Olympics but other cities can't. Everything is money. Sapporo or Sendai,,, as host are too poor to hold it. So host city and government have to pay a lot of money for Olympics.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Reckless

 Your friends are not professionals with an army of consultants to research such things.

To what extent does the IOC selection body second-guess cities' bid proposals, especially on something like the weather? They receive local info and data compiled by the candidate cities and assume the cities are reporting in good faith. Tokyo's lies were actually quite extraordinary, which is why we're even discussing this.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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