Japan's Olympic organizers lied about its weather, and now athletes are paying the pr

[mhays]

The US media panned it pretty heavily too.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by mhays

The "us vs. them" focus doesn't seem like it brings the world together. Part of me wants the US to excel, but when I think about it maybe it's better when the medals are spread out more.

As for the weather/climate, most of the world sucks for sports in the summer. Not my city, which wouldn't go for an Olympics, but most of it.

Seattle would be an ideal place for the Summer Olympics actually, especially for outdoor sports. Once it gets above 70F and its sunny and you're physically exerting yourself to maximum potential, it's really too hot.

But then again, how many Olympics sports other than track and field and cycling are actually played outdoors nowadays?

[Crawford]

I cannot imagine Seattle going for the Olympics. The "coastal elitist" metros aren't typically gonna be big on megabillion sports/traffic/marketing extravaganzas.

I agree the PNW weather would be pretty ideal, but with climate change, not so sure anymore. Fire season and triple-digit temps are real risks.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by crawford

i cannot imagine seattle going for the olympics. The "coastal elitist" metros aren't typically gonna be big on megabillion sports/traffic/marketing extravaganzas.

l.a.?

[mhays]

True. Our average high is in the upper 70s and we're extremely dry in the summer. Though smoke from wildfires could be an issue. On the plus side the smoke tends not to blow toward Seattle itself.

Athletes could stay at UW dorms, the Seattle Center would make a phenomenal cultural village, and cruise ships could put another 20,000 hotel rooms close to the core.

But none of our stadiums would be suited to track, and there would be more fear about crowds and spending than excitement. We don't seem to value PR. It would never happen.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

l.a.?

To me, LA is a different kind of metro than a Seattle, Bay Area or Boston. Different demographic, and generally attracts a different kind of person.

And is the typical LA resident looking forward to three weeks of traffic Armageddon? Not sure.

[mhays]

As for traffic and crowds...overblown. Fear tends to keep enough people home that big events often mean LESS traffic.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Crawford

To me, LA is a different kind of metro than a Seattle, Bay Area or Boston. Different demographic, and generally attracts a different kind of person.

And is the typical LA resident looking forward to three weeks of traffic Armageddon? Not sure.

Perhaps. I almost forgot that Boston killed its own bid for 2024.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by edale

Oh please. The summer Olympics are almost always played in hot weather. Is summer in Tokyo really that much better than Atlanta? LA can be brutally hot this time of year, London just had a big heatwave, I've been to Paris in the summer when it was VERY hot. Why is Tokyo being held to a different standard here?

And if the Olympic Committee simply trusted a disingenuous claim about the weather in Tokyo, that's on them. Anyone can google the average temperature and weather of any city in the world in a matter of seconds.

My position as well. If I were an athlete I'd expect brutally hot weather at the summer Olympics.

[Yuri]

I didn’t visit Rio during the Olympics, but I remember how cheerful São Paulo was during 2014 World Cup. And that’s Brazil, far from Europe and their tourist crowd.

I guess any city, even London, benefits from this kind of unique happy atmosphere once for a while.

[Pedestrian]

The weather on Honshu in the Tokyo area is similar to the US east coast. So if a major eastern city ever gets the Olympics are they not to be held in summer?

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by Crawford

I cannot imagine Seattle going for the Olympics. The "coastal elitist" metros aren't typically gonna be big on megabillion sports/traffic/marketing extravaganzas.

I agree the PNW weather would be pretty ideal, but with climate change, not so sure anymore. Fire season and triple-digit temps are real risks.

The Bay Area DID put together an Olympic bid for the 2016 games. Thankfully, we lost. The America's Cup was bad enough.

[SFBruin]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

But you don’t need to root for US athletes necessarily. I hardly ever root for the ones from my country. It’s much more fun to pick teams depending on the sport. For instance, volleyball/gymnastics I like Russia, rowing I root for Germany, cycling for Great Britain, waterpolo for Hungary, and so on.

That's a pretty good idea.

Naomi Osaka has long been my favorite tennis player. Although the US media hypes her up so much you'd think she was one of our own.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

I hardly ever root for the ones from my country.

That's OK. San Francisco sports bars are full enough of Brazilian fans rooting for your country (and when you win, they drive around waving Brazilian flags and honking their horns). It's pretty reliable: When I hear a bunch of horns honking I can look out the windows and expect to see those Brazilian flags but usually it's over a football match.

[SFBruin]

If you're talking about men's soccer, that's because the US generally isn't in the event.

[10023]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Just stage it in Athens every four years.

Or just cancel it already. It's a cynical money grab where competing parties routinely use cash, jewelry and sex bribes. Performance-enhancing cheating is rampant. All the sports can have periodic world championships; no need to compete under an Olympics umbrella.

Yeah but when do you ever watch them? I kind of like watching crazy Asians play ping pong for about 20 minutes every 4 years.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Crawford

I assume they chose this time of year, largely bc no one in U.S. would watch it in the Fall? Football season.

Do people still care about the Olympics? It seemed like a huge deal when I was a kid, and now seems to have dropped off the radar.

I've heard from watching a vlogger who is American who has lived in Japan for over 20 years now that is exactly why it is being held now, he too said October would have been a better option but the USA sports leagues were dead set against that happening.

i've not really watched much of them in the last few held, I saw absolutley nothing from the Brazil games, I saw the opening of the London games and a couple events. Because of the time zone difference I have not seen anything live from Tokyo but have watched lots of full length highlights on youtube, I am still trying to find time to watch the opening ceremony.

I have also noticed compared to when I was a kid, 70/80s that Team Canada does so much better now, we actually have quite a few medals already Wtching while growing up it was really a poor showing but the government decided to invest in amateur sports and the olympic athletes in the last 20 or so years and the results are proving to have worked.

I when I have the time like to watch whats on on TV olympic wise, but I don't really watch TV, we put it on at work and I sneak a look when I can. Not many others seem to be interested or care that its happening.

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I have also noticed compared to when I was a kid, 70/80s that Team Canada does so much better now, we actually have quite a few medals already Wtching while growing up it was really a poor showing but the government decided to invest in amateur sports and the olympic athletes in the last 20 or so years and the results are proving to have worked.

It helps that there are a lot more events now, some of which are relatively new sports or are women's events where the funding gets a better medal bang for the buck.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Originally Posted by edale

And if the Olympic Committee simply trusted a disingenuous claim about the weather in Tokyo, that's on them. Anyone can google the average temperature and weather of any city in the world in a matter of seconds.

This. Weather - especially in a big, international city like Tokyo - is a well-known phenomenon that's easy to get data on. If anybody relied on some promoters for climate data for Tokyo in the summer, they're just plain stupid.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Perhaps. I almost forgot that Boston killed its own bid for 2024.

Proudly killed it with wide support. Very few things can bring all of Massachusetts's parochial tribes together at speed; the amount of in-state pushback from all corners the Boston Olympic bid received was inspiring.

I'm all for Athens hosting the Summer Games in perpetuity. Added bonus: political boycotts would probably be off the table (unless you're Turkey, I guess). You'll get accusations of Eurocentrism if you base the Winter Games in Switzerland, but I can't really think of a better place.

As for the Tokyo weather, the summers are both noticeably and measurably hotter and longer than when I first got here in 2002. The biggest difference is actually in the number of days that don't go below 30 C, even at 4:00 AM. We've always had lots of steamy summer days, but we'd typically cool off at night and enjoy a tolerable morning. Now we just vacillate between 30 C and 35 C for two and a half months straight, almost always at 70%+ humidity for effective temps of around 38-40 C / 100-104 F. So even when your Olympic event starts at 6:00 AM, it's already 30 C / 86 F at 70%+ humidity.