Tokyo Olympics: as athletes gear up to compete, can they beat Japan’s heat?

The weather is so hot, the government has activated extra power plants to meet growing demand for electricity, in particular for air conditioners

Many teams have imported energy drinks to cope, while New Zealand’s delegation has gone as far as to bring in ice vests, slushie machines and misting fans

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A man cools off at a mist station at Shiokaze Park in Tokyo during a beach volleyball test event. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:00am, 22 Jul 2021Updated: 10:28pm, 22 Jul 2021

While Covid-19 concerns have cast a pall on the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics, they have overshadowed a danger that has in recent days become more apparent – the risk of heatstroke.

Many parts of Japan, including the capital region, are in the throes of a hotter-than-usual summer, with the national weather bureau issuing heatstroke alerts for a fifth consecutive day on Wednesday.

The situation is considered so dire that the government is activating extra power plants – including a nuclear reactor that has been offline since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 – to meet growing demand for electricity, in particular for air conditioners.

Members of the Australian Olympics team shelter from the heat under umbrellas. Photo: Reuters

“Since the rainy season ended last week, it certainly feels hotter than an average year,” said Hiromi Murakami, a university professor who lives in Tokyo.

“But I have felt for the last few years that summers in Tokyo have been gradually getting warmer and more uncomfortable,” she said. “It’s hard for ordinary people to be outside for any length of time, so I cannot imagine how hard it must be for elite athletes to try to compete in these conditions.