Tokyo 2020 Olympics: The Heat‑Proof Games
When the sun hits Tokyo at 37 °C with humidity over 80 %, athletes, fans, and even pigeons start to sweat a bit more. This September‑December 2020 heatwave has stirred up nerves around the upcoming Games scheduled for July 24 – August 9, a period when the caps of summer heat clear the horizon.
Why the heat is a major concern
- Japan has been experiencing a “heat island” effect, where urban areas (> 3 °C warmer) play host to hotter and stickier air.
- In the last century, Tokyo’s average temperature rose by 3 °C, dwarfing the global rise of 0.7–0.8 °C.
- Heat hits hard: it kills hundreds and lobbies tens of thousands of hospital admissions every summer.
From solar paint to misting – the official toolbox
Olympic organisers and the local government have rolled out a chaotic portfolio of anti‑heat hacks:
- Solar‑blocking paint coating 116 km of marathon road to shave up to 8 °C off surface temperatures.
- Mobile misting stations to cool fans standing in the lines.
- Air‑conditioned medical tents lining the marathon route for those who need a quick chill.
- New national stadium designed with airflow in mind, with large fans deployed in the spectator zones.
- “Uchimizu” up‑revived: sprinkling water on streets to give the city a mini breeze.
The Marathon: A race in a sauna
Professor Makoto Yokohari from the University of Tokyo all but forecasted the marathon as the most extreme race ever by heat. He warns that the last quarter of the route — crossing Tokyo’s Imperial Palace — will be a no‑shade zone. Even the early‑morning 7:00 am start cannot avert the heat‑stroke danger.
“Athletes will feel significant damage to their bodies in this phase,” Yokohari told AFP, a story that sent a chill down many eyebrows.
What the organisers are doing to keep fans cool
- Tents covering queues at security gates to cut down waiting time to 20 minutes.
- Small shows with mist sprays as entertainment—think “sprinkled karaoke” meets safety.
- Court‑in‑police style: moving the marathon to a cooler northern region.
But skepticism persists. When Tokyo hosted the 1964 Games, the schedule was moved to October to dodge the scorching summer. Summed up, the question remains: Will the “solar‑painted” solution be enough or just a new side hustle?
Closing thoughts
Stay cool, Tokyo: you know the heat, but not everyone, especially athletes and fans finishing the race by 9 pm, will have that DIY ice pops. The Olympics might be the first event where we pack a compressor with every track readied for 80 % humidity.
