The hottest Olympics in history is 'torturing' athletes and volunteers, one of Japan's top meteorologists says

Advertisement
The hottest Olympics in history is 'torturing' athletes and volunteers, one of Japan's top meteorologists says
Players have been complaining of high heat Zheng Huansong/Xinhua via Getty Images and Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
  • A meteorologist has warned the Tokyo weather is 'torturing' the athletes at the hottest Olympics in history.
  • High temperatures combined with humidity have made conditions particularly brutal at the games.
  • Collapsing and vomiting athletes have been a common sight at the Tokyo Games.
Advertisement

Weather conditions at the Olympics are "torturing" athletes, according to a Japanese meteorologist.

Sayaka Mori, who works for the Japanese broadcasting corporation NHK, tweeted that the "oppressive heat is really torturing the Olympians and volunteers in Tokyo."

On Thursday, the temperature in Tokyo hit 93 degrees Fahrenheit but with a humidity level of 62%, conditions felt closer to 109 degrees.

Three storms have also been reported in the Western Pacific and two of them are expected to hit Japan as tropical storms.

While there have been previous Olympics in hot conditions, it is the consistent heat that is causing problems in Tokyo. The Guardian reports that temperatures in Japan have frequently been above 95 degrees Fahrenheit and Tokyo has been 90 degrees Fahrenheit on average.

Advertisement

Tokyo is regularly experiencing s wet bulb temperature - an index of heat that combines temperature and humidity - of over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which is "several degrees above Rio, London, Beijing and other Olympics" Oliver Gibson, a senior lecturer at Brunel University told the Guardian.

Throughout the games, athletes have suffered the consequences of the high heat, with collapsing after events and vomiting both common sights.

Before the games had even officially begun, Russian archer Svetlana Gomboeva collapsed when she was taking part in the qualifiers.

Her team doctor said that sunstroke was the cause of the collapse, and she had to have ice packs applied to her head before she could leave the arena.

The hottest Olympics in history is 'torturing' athletes and volunteers, one of Japan's top meteorologists says
Daniil Medvedev tried to beat the heat at the Tokyo Olympics. Patrick Semansky/AP Images

Fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev was one of many tennis players to complain about the extreme conditions.

Advertisement

In his third-round match against Italy's Fabio Fognini, the Russian called a medical timeout numerous times and even asked officials who would be responsible if he died on court.

"I'm fine," Medvedev said at the time.

"I can finish the match but I can die. If I die will the ITF take responsibility?" He was referring to the International Tennis Federation, tennis's governing body.

World number one Novak Djokovic called the conditions in Tokyo "very tough" and was one of many players to call for matches to be moved to later in the day.

During a practice, beach volleyball players could not bear standing on the hot sand and ground staff had to spray the surface with water before they could continue.

Advertisement

Even watersports did not provide much relief with swimmers having to swim at 6.30am just to compete in cooler waters.

{{}}