Everybody is preparing for the Japan 2020 Olympics, with almost all of the seats already considered for the taking by thousands of international spectators. However, these spectators and the athletes themselves may get something completely different than they were bargaining for.
To reiterate it, they’re most likely going to witness “the most heated Olympic games of history” and that’s in a metaphor kind of understanding, it’s quite literal.
Several Japanese doctors, that are well respected and counted among the best of the best the country can offer, have warned about the increased number of heat strokes that Japanese Summers have been producing over the course of the last couple of years.
One particular doctor, Kimiyuki Nagashima is warning that the dates where the games are going to be held July 27th – August 9th is in the very epicenter of the Japanese heatwaves, especially as humidity builds up due to the country being an island and so close to a large ocean as well as a sea.
Is it more dangerous for the players or the spectators?
It’s quite easy to understand that spectators will have the luxury of trying to find a place in the shade or at least coming prepared to the events as they clothe themselves accordingly or bring equipment for producing “artificial” shade.
When it comes to the athletes themselves, there is very little they can possibly do. In fact, it’s not about the heatstroke anymore for the athletes themselves, but also the severe burns they may receive if they expose themselves to the sun for a large period of time.
Considering how the games are almost always held in open-air areas, there will be very little protecting these athletes as they do warmups for the contest or when they actually compete.
What are other experts saying?
There are other people that have commented on the condition of Japanese weather during the Olympics. Most of them are TV show hosts or Sports experts that have been with the industry for decades.
Almost all of them are saying that competing in a not-perfect weather condition is almost guaranteed to hamper the performance of the athletes, therefore no record breaking attempts should be expected.
Even experts from countries like Norway and Sweden have commented that it’s important that coaches somehow prepare their athletes for the heat for them to at least deal with it somehow rather than combat it completely. Being born and raised in the Nordics does indeed add some sense to how sensitive an athlete may be to the heat.
The comments have become so wide-spread about the potential health issues that even popular Norwegian betting odds websites, who absolutely marvel at the Olympics as that’s when they get most of the traction has subsequently decided to decrease the odds of Scandinavian performers. All because of the interference of the heat.
Are the organizers doing anything?
If the general population and experts already understand the potential health risks, then so do the organizers. They are already testing preventative measures in order to create the most “habitable” environment for both the athletes as well as the spectators by using things such as fake snow to somehow refresh the area.
However, the issues immediately became apparent as the snow doesn’t truly cool down the area nor the people that come in contact with it. The snow refreshes the recipient rather than bring their body temperature down.
Other issues such as quick-melting snow producing puddles or simply soaking spectators were also encountered, introducing even more issues than it solved.
It’s unknown what type of preventative measures the organizers will try in the future, but the fact that you need to stock up on the coldest water you can find before going to see the events is a given.