DUBAI: Tokyo 2020 Olympic officials have everything covered for the international sporting event – from misting stations to flowerbeds to make the heat bearable at the summer games.
But not taking anything to chances, they want to let it snow, too.
Organizers have confirmed they plan to test the use of artificial snow at a canoe event later this month as they look for ways to keep spectators and athletes cool during Tokyo’s notoriously steamy summer months, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.
Olympic organizers were concerned holding the Games during summer months when Tokyo regularly reaches 35 degrees centigrade with 80% humidity might be unsafe.
“Artificial snow will be sprayed over spectator seating,” some of which may be in direct sunlight, during a canoeing event on September 13 that will serve as a test for the Olympics, AFP said, citing a spokeswoman for the Tokyo 2020 organizers.
“We haven’t decided definitively that we will use this system next year for the Olympics, but we want to test it to see how effective it is,” she was further quoted as saying.
“We’re open to trying all potentially useful ideas,” she added, when asked about possible criticism of the environmental side-effects of the method.
Public broadcaster NHK said the test would use small snow-making machines to produce about a ton of snow per day, and that officials from the organizing committee would attend in spectator stands to judge the technique’s effectiveness.
