Heat Headache for 2020 Planners as Tokyo Swelters Year Before Games
VOA News｜Arts & Culture
August 6, 2019 08:16 PM Reuters (source)
Heat Headache for 2020 Planners as Tokyo Swelters Year Before Games
2020 奧運倒數一年之際，東京炎夏令規劃者頭疼不已
August 6, 2019 08:16 PM
Reuters
TOKYO —
Soaring temperatures in Japan have killed at least 57 people since late July, authorities said on Tuesday, highlighting the health threat to athletes and fans that Olympics organizers must tackle before next year's Tokyo games.
Temperatures have been stuck above 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) in and around Tokyo since July 24, the date the Summer Games will open next year in Japan's capital and run for 17 days.
The sweltering heat killed 57 people across Japan in the week from July 29 to Aug. 4, the Disaster Management Agency said on Tuesday. More than 1,800 were taken to hospitals in Tokyo.
Last summer temperatures hit a record 41.1 C just north of Tokyo, which first hosted the Olympics in 1964 when the games were held in October to avoid the heat. Four years later, the Mexico City Games were also moved to October.
Since 1976 most summer games have been held in the Northern Hemisphere summer due to international broadcasting and sports schedules — forcing Tokyo organizers to find ways to keep athletes and tens of thousands of fans cool and hydrated.
"Weather conditions were often organizers' challenges in past Olympic and Paralympic Games. We also understand that top-tier competitions can sometimes be observed in cities with even tougher weather patterns than in Tokyo," said Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya.
The 2004 Athens Games and 2008 Beijing Games were also held in cities known for their summer heat.
"In this respect, input and expertise from the IOC and the sports federation from their past experiences are extremely valuable," he said, referring to the International Olympic Committee.
Tokyo organizers are evaluating heat-fighting measures from mist sprays and ice packs to shaded rest areas and tents at security checkpoints.
"We will keep working closely together with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the national government and relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of the Games," Takaya said.
Hot and hotter
Japanese summers are hot and getting hotter.
Though there have been scorching hot days in the past — temperatures hit 32.6 C on July 24 in 1964 — Japan is seeing more of them and nights no longer cool down as much, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) data shows.
It coined a new word — "Ferociously Hot Days" — in 2007 because of more days with temperatures above 35 C.
Tomoyuki Kitamura, a JMA scientific officer, said Tokyo suffers from a "heat island effect" where concentrated heat in cities prevents them from cooling off at night.
"But the bigger impact is from global warming. There's no doubt about this at all," he said.
In the past two decades, Tokyo has had an average high of 32 C in the last 10 days of July and first 10 days of August, according to JMA data.
The heat is made worse by a relative lack of shade in the concrete jungle home to 9.2 million people.
Japan is also among a handful of major economies that shun daylight savings time. As a result, the sun is up — and baking the city — before 5 a.m. for most of the summer.
With that in mind, the Olympic marathons will start at 6 a.m. local time, an hour earlier than scheduled. The women's event will be on Aug. 2 and men's on Aug. 9, the last day of competition.
The 26.2-mile (42-km) marathon course and other major roads will be paved with more than 100 km of a resin-based surface that reflects infrared rays and lowers the pavement temperature by as much as 8 degrees C, organizers said.
Other heat countermeasures are being tested this summer.
Last month's beach volleyball event — where two people needed medical treatment as temperatures hit 35 C — tested shaded or air-conditioned rest areas and water vapour sprays for fans. Organizers also handed out water and ice packs to athletes and spectators.
Given that Japan's heat and humidity can persist through the end of September, the Rugby World Cup — which starts in under 50 days — could also be affected.
After Tokyo 2020, Paris could face similar challenges. The host of the 2024 summer games saw a record 40.6 C on July 25, in a month that was the hottest recorded on earth.
On a recent Tokyo afternoon, residents said the heat would also be a challenge for 2020 volunteers, especially those working at outdoor events.
"The (marathon) athletes can finish in two hours but the volunteer staff will be there longer than that," said 69-year-old Yuki Ooka, who runs every day.
"So they have a lot of ice packs with them — and I hope the government has a better strategy," she added.
日本（Japan）官方(authority)於週二（編按：2019 年 8 月 6 日）表示，該國自 7 月底以來，已有超過 57 人死於不斷驟升(soar)的高溫。這突顯(highlight)了在明年（編按：2020 年）東京奧運（Tokyo games）開幕前，奧林匹克運動會（Olympics，簡稱「奧運」）的承辦單位必須處理(tackle)這項會對運動員和運動迷健康造成影響的威脅。
首都東京（Tokyo）及其周圍地區的氣溫自 7 月 24 日起便停留於(stick，註 1)攝氏 31 度（華氏 88 度）以上，居高不下。夏季奧運（Summer Games）將於明年（編按：2020 年）7 月 24 日在東京舉行，並將進行(run for . . .)為期 17 天的賽程。
日本總務省消防廳（Disaster Management Agency）於週二表示，當地在 7 月 29 日至 8 月 4 日一週內，已有 57 人死於悶熱的(sweltering，註 2)高溫。東京更有超過 1800 人因此送醫。
去年（編按：2018 年）夏天，東京北部的氣溫達到攝氏 41.1 度的紀錄。這個地方曾於 1964 年首次舉辦奧運，並為了避免高溫，將賽事延後至 10 月舉行。4 年後（編按：1968 年），墨西哥奧運（Mexico City Games）同樣將賽事延至 10 月舉行。
考量到國際間的廣播(broadcast)報導和體育賽程(sports schedule)的安排，夏季奧運自 1976 年以來多數舉辦於北半球的夏季(Northern Hemisphere summer)。這迫使東京奧運主辦單位必須尋求各種方法，才能讓運動員及成千上萬的(tens of thousands of . . .)運動迷保持涼爽並保有足夠的水分(keep . . . cool and hydrated)。
「天氣狀況往往是歷屆奧運和殘奧會（Paralympic Games，「殘障奧林匹克運動會」）承辦單位會面臨的挑戰。最高等級的(top-tier)競賽活動有時也可以在氣候比東京更嚴峻的城市觀賞到(observe，註 3)。」2020 年東京奧運發言人(spokesman)高谷正哲（Masa Takaya）表示。
2004 年雅典奧運（2004 Athens Games）和 2008 年北京奧運（2008 Beijing Games）同樣也在以炎熱夏季聞名(known for . . .)的城市舉行。
「就這方面來說(in this respect)，國際奧委會（IOC）和運動聯盟(sports federation)根據以往經驗所提供的專業知識(expertise)是非常有價值的。」高谷說道。他提到的國際奧委會（IOC）即指「國際奧林匹克委員會（International Olympic Committee）」。
東京奧運承辦單位正對設置於安全檢查站(security checkpoint)的抗熱措施(heat-fighting measure)進行評估(evaluate)。這些措施從噴霧(mist spray)和冰袋(ice pack)到能遮陽的(shaded)休息區和帳篷等一應俱全。
「為了確保(ensure)奧運能順利進行，我們會持續密切地與東京都廳（Tokyo Metropolitan Government）、全國政府(national government)和相關利益者(relevant stakeholder)合作。」高谷進一步說。
熱上加熱
日本的夏季愈來愈炎熱。
日本氣象廳（Japan Meteorological Agency，JMA）的數據顯示，儘管當地先前也曾遇過灼熱的(scorching，註 4)夏日，例如 1964 年 7 月 24 日當天的溫度高達攝氏 32.6 度，但近年來不僅高溫的日子愈來愈頻繁，連夜晚的降溫幅度也不如以往來得多。
因為氣溫高於攝氏 35 度的日子愈來愈常見，氣象廳更在 2007 年創造(coin，註 5)了「猛烈(ferociously，註 6)炎熱的日子」一詞。
北村知之（Tomoyuki Kitamura）是氣象廳的科學官員。他表示，東京受到「熱島效應（heat island effect）」影響，市區集中的(concentrated，註 7)高溫使得夜裡的城市依舊難以降溫(cool off)。
他說：「毫無疑問的是，造成這個現象的更大因素來自全球暖化。」
日本氣象廳的數據顯示，過去 20 年裡，東京的平均高溫為攝氏 32 度。這個溫度出現在 7 月的後 10 天和 8 月的前 10 天之間。
由於 920 萬人的都市叢林(concrete jungle)裡相對缺乏涼蔭處，炎熱的情況變得更加嚴重。
此外，日本也是全球主要經濟體(major economy)裡，少數未參與日光節約時間(daylight savings time)的國家。因此，夏日期間，太陽經常不到 5 點便升起，開始烘烤各個城市。
考慮到這一點，東京奧運的馬拉松賽事將於當地上午 6 點開始，比原定的時間提前一小時。女子馬拉松賽將於 8 月 2 日（編按：2020 年）舉行，男子馬拉松賽則在 8 月 9 日閉幕當天舉行。
奧運承辦單位表示，26.2 英里（42 公里）的馬拉松賽道(course，註 8)和其他主要道路(major road)將會鋪設以樹脂為基底的表層，長度達 100 公里以上。如此，道路就能反射(reflect)紅外線(infrared ray)並替路面降溫，且降溫幅度最高可達攝氏 8 度之多。
其他防熱對策(countermeasure)已陸續在今年（編按：2019 年）夏季測試。
上個月（編按：2019 年 7 月）的海灘排球活動中，有兩人因受高達攝氏 35 度的高溫影響而需要接受治療。主辦單位在活動中嘗試提供球迷能夠遮陽或具備冷氣的休息區，同時噴灑水氣噴霧(water vapour spray)。此外，單位也提供了水及冰袋給運動員和觀眾(spectator，註 9)。
有鑑於日本炎熱的高溫和潮濕可能持續(persist，註 10)到 9 月底，再過不到 50 天便要舉行的世界盃橄欖球賽（Rugby World Cup）也有可能受影響。
繼東京舉辦完 2020 年的奧運後，法國巴黎（Paris）可能也會面臨類似的挑戰。將舉辦 2024 年夏季奧運的巴黎在今年 7 月 25 日迎來創紀錄的攝氏 40.6 度高溫。七月更是史上最熱的一個月份。
近來的一個東京午後，居民表示高溫也將是奧運志工會面臨到的挑戰，特別是在戶外場地幫忙的志工們。
「馬拉松選手可以在 2 小時內跑完賽事，但是志工們會在運動場待上更久的時間。」每天跑步的 69 歲大岡由紀（Yuki Ooka）表示。
大岡補充說道：「所以他們隨身準備了許多冰袋。除此之外，我希望政府能提出更好的因應對策。」
Language Notes
註 1：stick 於本文為動詞；本字也可做為名詞「條狀物；棍狀物」使用
註 2：sweltering 為形容詞，源於動詞 "swelter"「使 . . . . . . 感覺熱極了」
註 3：observe 於本文指「觀賞」；本字也常指「注意到；覺察到」；注意重音在第 2 音節
註 4：scorching 為形容詞，源於動詞 "scorch"「把 . . . . . . 燒焦；把 . . . . . . 烤焦」
註 5：coin 於本文為動詞；本字也可做為名詞「硬幣，錢幣」使用
註 6：ferociously 由形容詞 "ferocious"「兇猛的；激烈的」與副詞字尾 "-ly" 組成；注意重音在第 2 音節
註 7：concentrated 於本文為形容詞，源於動詞 "concentrate"「集中；聚集」；注意重音在第 1 音節
註 8：course 於本文指「競賽場地；球場；跑道」；本字也常指「課程；進展；過程」
註 9：spectator 注意重音在第 2 音節
註 10：persist 注意重音在第 2 音節
BACK TO CONTENT
Check your comprehension!
Choose the BEST answer to each of the questions below. After you finish, highlight the parentheses to reveal the hidden answers.
1. ( D ) Which of the following concerns about the 2020 Summer Olympics is mentioned in the article?
(A) Food safety.
(B) Game schedule.
(C) Olympic Village.
(D) Weather condition.
2. ( D ) According to the article, what is NOT true about Summer Olympic Games?
(A) They have been held in different months of the year.
(B) They are mostly held in countries located in the Northern Hemisphere.
(C) They will be held in Tokyo next.
(D) They were last held in Beijing.
3. ( C ) What type of figure of speech is used in the following sentence: "As a result, the sun is up – and baking the city – before 5 a.m. for most of the summer."?
(A) Hyperbole.
(B) Metaphor.
(C) Personification.
(D) Simile.
編譯：外語教學暨資源中心 編輯小組
|
Read more on VOA.
