Athletes Bake in Extreme Heat at Tokyo Athletics World Championships

Races’ start times during the first three day of the championships were rescheduled to ensure athletes’ safety. Temperatures in Tokyo are expected to peak at 34C on Wednesday.

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Extreme heat persisted in Tokyo on Wednesday, after disrupting the first three days of the Athletics World Championships.

The Organising Committee last Thursday announced that it would move up some races’ start times on the first three days of the championships to ensure athletes’ safety. But high temperatures have persisted on Tuesday and are expected to peak at 34C on Wednesday, the fifth day of the championships.

“Reflecting the current environment, World Athletics (WA) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), in consultation with the World Athletics Health & Science Department, have taken this decision that puts the highest priority on athletes’ health and safety, and it has been communicated to the athletes as early as possible to allow them to prepare and adjust to the new start time,” the press release read.

At the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which were delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, some events were moved to the city of Sapporo due to heat concerns.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe admitted that athletes would face “some heat challenges” in Tokyo.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Coe criticized governments for not stepping up efforts to tackle rising temperatures, shifting the responsibility onto the sports industry.

“Governments have not stepped up to the plate and sport is going to have to take some unilateral judgments and decisions here,” he said, adding that World Athletics is well equipped to rise up to the challenge.

“I’m very proud to be able to say with full justification that we have the most accomplished and the most capable health and science team in any international sport, and frankly any sporting organisation,” he said.

Hottest Summer on Record

This summer was Japan’s hottest since 1898, when comparable records first became available, with the average temperature 2.36 C above normal.

On August 5, the country logged its hottest day on record in Isesaki City, north of Tokyo, with the mercury climbing to 41.8C. It surpassed the previous record of 41.2C, recorded less than a week earlier in Tamba City in the western prefecture of Hyogo, and marked the sixth time this summer that the mercury exceeds 40C in parts of the country. 

Athletes and Venues Under Pressure

Professional sports are increasingly affected by climate disruption, so much so that seasonal sporting calendars and events are now no longer the reliable fixtures they once were. Major events worldwide, like last year’s Paris Olympics, now face higher risk of cancellations, delays and adjustments brought about by extreme, unpredictable weather. 

Venues are also under threat from weather-related climate risks. 

A new report published earlier this month warned that 14 of the 16 World Cup venues are already exceeding “safe-play thresholds” for extreme heat, unplayable rainfall, and flooding. By mid-century, nearly 90% of host stadiums will face unsafe extreme heat conditions and 11 stadiums will experience unplayable heat. ⁠
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The “safe-play” benchmark for extreme heat is 35C (95F), which represents the limit of human adaptability to extreme heat. Once this threshold is reached, the body’s natural cooling system begins to fail, heightening the risk of heatstroke and dehydration, both for players and spectators.

According to the report, several of the 2026 World Cup locations are already recording temperatures at or above this threshold. ⁠

More on the topic: How Climate Change Is Affecting Professional Sports Worldwide