Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: As Tokyo continues to battle against a surging COVID-19 infection rate, the Olympic host is also facing another attack by nature: heat.

Local and international media are reporting that athletes in some sports are suffering in the intense summer heat, which has reached 34 C in Tokyo.

One observer suggested it was no coincidence that Japan’s flag was a representation of the sun, while runners in the 3,000-meter steeplechase said the water splashing from the water jump was hot.

A number of athletes have commented on the heat. Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic described the situation as “cruel.”

Even water events were unbearable: Slovak canoe slalom athlete Matej Beuche compared the competition on Tokyo Bay to “rowing in a bath,” with seawater surface temperatures having reached 31 C at one point.

Australian bronze medalist Kareena Lee reportedly claimed that a flying fish collided with her, probably because “the seawater was too hot for the fish.”

By comparison, at the Tokyo 1964 Games (October 10 to 24) the average daytime temperature peaked at 20 degrees C.

Taking into account the potentially harmful effects of high temperatures on athletes, all matches at the World Cup in Qatar next year will be played in air-conditioned stadiums, with a November to December schedule.

The IOC has come under fire for holding the Games during a pandemic but have also been criticized for holding them in the middle of Tokyo’s hot summer.

It is reported that the scheduling of the Games was influenced by American broadcaster NBC, but if the overheated experience of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics convinces the powers that be to give more consideration to a suitable season and climate, it would be a step in the right direction.