Olympic athletes "risk the hottest weather in more than a century at the 2020 Tokyo Games as high summer temperatures in Japan’s capital highlight concern about holding global sporting events under extreme conditions," according to Chris Cooper of BLOOMBERG.
Tokyo "is set to host its second Olympics in July and August, the hottest months in the city, where temperatures soared to 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) last month." A temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher during the men’s marathon at the Tokyo Olympics "would make it the hottest in at least 120 years." U.K.-based Loughborough University Professor of Environmental Physiology & Ergonomics George Havenith, who has visited Tokyo several times in the summer, said, "It is unwise to plan an event in such extreme conditions. There also is an increased risk for the spectators." Tokyo-based meteorologist at Weather Caster Network Tadayuki Iwaya said that in addition, "higher humidity in Tokyo makes summer temperatures feel hotter than in climates like Athens, where there’s less moisture in the air." The IOC said that "the preferred period for the Games were between July 15 and Aug. 31, though it would consider applications outside of those dates." IOC Media Relations Manager Andrew Mitchell said, "The health of the athletes is clearly a top priority for the IOC, but at this stage it is too early to comment on any specific measures, such as holding the marathon in the morning at Beijing 2008." Other countries "have held the Olympics at later dates." Sydney held the Olympics in late September to early October in '00, as did Seoul in '88, while Mexico held the Games in Oct. '68 (BLOOMBERG, 9/18).
