Photos: Athletes Break Down Under Extreme Heat on the Olympics

The girls’s and males’s marathon races are set to happen in Sapporo this weekend. They had been initially deliberate for Tokyo, however organizers relocated them to Sapporo, which is properly north of Tokyo and situated on the island of Hokkaido, which is typically cooler.

But it appears the warmth can’t be prevented so simply. Hokkaido is at the moment present process a historic warmth wave—common temperatures over the month of July have set records, hovering up to 101.2 degrees Fahrenheit. (38.4 levels Celsius). Not precisely ultimate circumstances for working any distance, not to mention 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers).

Organizers are taking precautions, supplying 14 water stations alongside the course, 9 of which may also have crushed ice. But at a sure level, shouldn’t we take a step again and ask if the Olympics is actually value contestants and staff risking their lives?

Last week, the Daily Beast found that, of their bid to host the Olympics, Tokyo officers weren’t sincere concerning the potential risks warmth may pose. In a 2020 bid document, the group behind the bid assured the International Olympic Committee that “with many days of mild and sunny weather, this period provides an ideal climate for athletes to perform their best.” But Tokyo’s temperatures have trended upward, and local weather change is rising the chance of even extra excessive warmth. If we’re going to have Olympic video games in future years, we higher take a protracted exhausting have a look at local weather traits earlier than we e-book a location.