Refinitiv Newscasts - Tokyo's heat pushes tennis to move its schedule
29/07/2021 08:29
Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_usgpz1cv&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2021:newsml_OVENWEZQJ_K15&pageId=RefinitivNewscasts Source: Thomson Reuters Description: Intense heat and humidity could force more competition schedule changes at the Tokyo Olympics with the International Tennis Federation, in charge of the competition at the Games, already moving Thursday's matches scheduled for 11am local time to 3pm. Bryan Wood reports. Short Link: https://refini.tv/3l6lwUS Video Transcript: >> Olympic events were shifted around on Thursday, as athletes struggle to compete in Tokyo summer heat. Ollie Jay is a Professor of Health and Heat at Sydney University in Australia, he says the real threat to Olympians is actually Tokyo's humidity. >> It's the climate that is really restricting the capacity to lose heat in this particular case. You might be able to produce lots and lots of sweat, and if that sweat can't evaporate from the skin, then it doesn't contribute to body cooling and that becomes really problematic. >> Jay suggests to cool down competitors should try using electric fans and wrapping ice towels around their head, but don't touch your sweat. >> Is not the production of sweat that cools you down is the evaporation of sweat. As you're wiping yourself down, you're removing the sweat that you've secreted, you're progressing to dehydrating the body where that sweat is not evaporating and providing any cooling to the body whatsoever. >> Temperatures during the games have regularly hit or exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The International Tennis Federation shifted their Thursday morning matches to late afternoon, hoping shade would protect the players. During his third round match on Wednesday, Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev took a medical timeout and called the trainer onto the court twice. It was a stifling 99 degrees. He told the Empire, "I can finish the match, but I can die."