We've got one year until the Olympics, and man it is a hot one
Big milestone. Big celebration. Big problem that needs addressing but humans cannot control.
Today marks one year until the 2020 Olympics.
This is the next to last major milestone for the Tokyo 2020 project and it is an important one. Now, the Olympics move beyond the theoretical into the operational, with organizers scrambling for a year to make sure they test every possible scenario to ensure a smooth event.
There will be MANY tests. Over 50 test events will descend on Tokyo and the surrounding regions over the next year, in both Olympic and Paralympic sports. These events will be designed to test anything from the sports themselves, to stadium flow, to how buses transporting athletes from hotels to the venues work, to how cheerful volunteers need to be and what information they need to disseminate. It is extremely granular stuff that gets lost in the narrative, which Tokyo 2020 will slowly start to lose control of until around Day 6 or 7 of the Olympics when the high level sport finally wins out in the eyes of the media.
I sadly am not in Tokyo for the one year to go ceremony, because I find the entire exercise pretty fascinating. A number of high level dignitaries including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be speaking alongside sport leaders talking about the value of Olympism, reconstruction, and the social benefit of having these Games in Japan.
None of the speeches will truly be original because this is the picture Tokyo 2020 has been painting has been going on for six years at this point. Tokyo 2020 is the recovery and reconstruction Games.
Still, the pageantry of the moment is interesting when viewed in a detached way. Here the head of state is standing alongside the President of an non-governmental organization inviting other country’s outposts of that NGO to a $20 billion dollar event. The magnitude of the moment is not lost.
Tokyo even showcased its medals to the world for the first time to mark the event. All medals will be made from recycled electronics.
After the year to go ceremony is done, the real work will once again commence. Despite Japan’s ability to organize and stage large events, there still is a lot of work that needs to be done for Tokyo 2020. Stadiums need to be completed, athletes have to qualify, and the city needs to prepare for a massive influx of visitors.
Also, Tokyo needs to prepare for it to be overwhelmingly hot.
Summer in Japan is a brutal combination of humidity and heat, with the sun rising as early as four o’clock in the morning. Tokyo 2020 falls just after the traditional rainy season and right when the heat just feels oppressive. I’ve been on reporting trips to Japan during this time, and even as someone who says they prefer to live on the equator I had trouble carrying my large camera bag around at times.
Heat has been a flashpoint for Tokyo 2020, so much that the start times for certain events had to be pushed to even earlier in the morning in the name of athlete safety.
The Tokyo government will begin its first test of heat countermeasures right after the one year to go ceremony at the volleyball test event. The event runs from July 24-28, but Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials told me it has “nothing to do with 1 year to go date”.
The TMG says the goal of the test is to best work to protect spectators who will be sitting outside attending outdoor events for Tokyo 2020. Measure to protect athletes, officials, and coaches are being handled by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.
“Our plan is to set up temporary tents and large-scale misting towers, and to provide folding fans and paper hats at the last-mile to the venues from the nearest stations and the roadside areas of on-the-road sports events,” Nobuyuki Yanagisawa, Operations Section, Planning and Promotion Division, Bureau of Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 Preparation, said to me.
“There was a possibility that the weather might not be hot enough to conduct the test verification of heat countermeasures at any test events scheduled before the beach volleyball event. In most cases, the rainy season will be over around the [middle] of July and it will get hotter day by day in Tokyo.”
These measures will also be tested at rowing, triathlon, hockey and marathon events throughout the year as Tokyo has to make sure those coming to watch the Olympics are well protected.
“Based on the result of test verification, TMG will examine the concrete contents and arrange the most effective heat countermeasures to protect spectators at the Tokyo 2020 Games next summer,” Yanagisawa added. “We’re still under consideration for any possible application after the Games.”
The fact that Tokyo must adopt these countermeasures to stage the Olympics is not lost on the IOC. Last year, at the same time, multiple people died from a heatwave in Northeast Asia that centered on Japan. Organizers said last year’s weather was abnormal, but as climate change continues its effect around the world uncertainty is driving organizers to over prepare.
This entire sequence of events is a reminder that once the Olympics get started there is very little, save for an honest to god war breaking out in a host country, that can stop them. I’m not here to debate the merits of that statement, but I say this to pivot to something that is also going on in Tokyo while the pomp of one year to go is occuring. Activists from past and future host cities have come to Tokyo to discuss their burgeoning movement, and the future of anti-Olympics activism.
Usually, these movements sprout up in cities in opposition to bids, then die once the bid has died, like in Boston. Yet, here we have groups from different continents working together to unite their cause under a global flag.
I had the pleasure of spending an evening with the activists from “Hangorin No Kai” in Tokyo to discuss why they are persistent in opposition to the Games, despite fighting a billion dollar machine. The group wants to draw attention to the abuse of state power in Japan and the hurried reconstruction in Fukushima which is being done in the name of the Games at the risk of local residents.
These causes are noble in their intentions and should be constantly drummed up when reporting on the ongoing project. While these activist’s goal is unabashedly to end the Olympic enterprise, their motives can be successful even if the Games go on. Issues of homelessness, developers intentions, and the use of state forces to reclaim public parks affect cities that are not hosting the Olympics. If the event is to improve it needs to improve by ensuring such actions are not taken by government partners.
The Anti-Olympics movement held a press conference hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. I haven’t had a chance to watch it in full, but it can be done so here:
Jules Boykoff and Dave Zirin have also written about their time in Tokyo in The Nation and in the LA Times. These perspectives, while at times seemingly radical, are important to hear as we hold those in power to account. I know that many in the Olympic movement like to dismiss these opinions because they intrinsically threaten the movement’s livelihood, but with one year to go I hope for all sides to get a voice to reach the goal of a better brighter Tokyo going forward.
What I am reading/writing:
-No feature to share just yet, but I can assure there is one from me coming in the works. In the meantime I compiled some thoughts of mine online about the “debate” that is being had with regards to athletes who have undergone a transition. I think framing the entire issue as a debate does everyone a disservice and we need to rethink how we are approaching this topic to preserve everyone’s humanity, although I admire those that want to try and discuss it. We all need to do better.
-Kyodo has the details about how Tokyo is trying to relieve congestion on its roadways during the Olympics AND a recap of the anti-Olympics press conference.
-If you’re in Japan check out public events for One year to Go:
-Gracenote predicts a top 3 finish for Japan at Tokyo 2020. Would be pretty special.
-Reuters has a recap of the Tokyo 2020 mascot robots:
-The 2019 Aquatics World Championships are ongoing in South Korea, and are missing a big star:
-The ISA says the surfing test event in Tokyo went well according to Inside the Games.
-The Tokyo 2020 torch may go to the International Space Station, reports Kyodo.