The high summer temperatures in Tokyo made a first casualty on this first Olympic day.
According to Reuters, Svetlana Gomboeva, a 23-year-old Russian archer, became unwell during the archery event.
After regaining her senses, she must have been taken out of Yumenoshima Stadium.
In Japan, the furnace is quite usual in summer.
Right now it's over 30 degrees.
In addition to the heat, the humidity is very high.
More than 80% in the capital.
A climate that will be difficult to overcome for the sportsmen involved in the Games.
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To get around the problem, flexibility and inventiveness were there. For example, the marathon and walking events have been relocated to the northern island of Hokkaido for more freshness. Innovative technical equipment has also been developed, such as refrigerated vests for French windsurfers. Some French athletes from Insep were prepared to face this heat wave by training in rooms recreating the conditions of a Japanese August in order to control the impact on their performance.
The 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo were held in October precisely to avoid the phenomenon.
For this edition, the city did not want to move the event for a few months so as not to encroach on the American sports calendar.
Tokyo had yet praised its candidacy by highlighting "mild temperatures", milder than in Doha in Qatar, the main competitor at the time to win the organization of the world competition.
Already in 2020, while Japanese residents were forced to stay at home amid the spread of the pandemic, the authorities recorded 112 deaths linked to heat stroke.