First, the sun. Now, the wind and therefore the rain. The Tokyo Olympics, delayed by the pandemic and opened under oppressive heat, are due for an additional hit of nature’s power: a typhoon arriving Tuesday morning that’s forecast to disrupt a minimum of some parts of the Games.
Don’t worry, Japanese hosts say: In US terms, the incoming weather is simply a mid-grade tropical storm. and therefore the surfers at Tsurigasaki beach say Tropical Storm Nepartak could actually improve the competition goodbye because it doesn’t hit the beach directly.
But archery, rowing, and sailing have already adjusted their Tuesday schedules. Tokyo Games spokesman Masa Takaya said there have been no other changes expected.
“It may be a tropical storm of three grade out of 5, so you shouldn’t be an excessive amount of worried about that , but it’s a typhoon in Japan’s interpretation,” Takaya said. “This is that the weakest category, but this is often still a typhoon so we should always not be too optimistic about the impact of the course.”
Tropical Storm Nepartak, packing gusts up to 108 kilometers (67 miles) per hour, was expected to form landfall on Tuesday, Japan’s meteorological agency said.
The storm is shifting its course from the Tokyo area to northeastern regions, including Fukushima. But the agency warned of heavy rain, wind, and high waves over a good area including the capital.
The wind and rain will follow intense heat, which has caused one Olympic archer to collapse and had skateboarders complaining of unbearable conditions by 9 a.m.
“In line with the present weather outlook, the schedule for the rowing and archery events thanks to happening on the 27th have already been changed,” Tokyo 2020 said. “At this point, there are not any plans to vary the schedule for any of the opposite events thanks to being persisted Tuesday.”
The Games organizers said they might keep an in-depth eye on the forecast and activate contingency plans for inclemency “should the necessity arise”.
Tuesday afternoon archery sessions are postponed until Wednesday and Thursday, with Tuesday’s rowing races rescheduled for later within the week.
On Monday, South Korea found out an inconsistent wind on the eve of the typhoon to defend their men’s archery team title.
Energetic 17-year-old Kim Je-deck came up clutch within the semi-finals to carry off host nation Japan then again during a 6-0 convert Chinese Taipei during the gold-medal match at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field.
The medal heats for surfing, making its Olympic debut in Tokyo, were thanks to being persisted Wednesday, but the strong swell provided by the Nepartak is predicted to abate by then and impact the waves, prompting organizers to maneuver them forward by each day.
Japan’s typhoon season runs from around May to October, peaking in August and September.
In 2019, Typhoon Hagibis hit as Japan hosted the Rugby World Cup.
The powerful storm killed quite 100 people and made organizers cancel three pool matches.
The Olympics opened on Friday after a year-long pandemic delay and can run until August 8. Spectators are banned at most venues due to coronavirus risks.
