TOKYO: Tokyo 2020 organisers blasted volunteers with fake snow on Friday as they trial ever more extreme ways to beat the heat ahead of the Games. But instead of light fluffy snowflakes, the crowd, consisting mainly of Tokyo 2020 staff, was pelted with fairly coarse shards of shaved ice at the canoeing test event. And ironically, after several weeks of almost unbroken heat and humidity, Friday saw temperatures in the Japanese capital drop sharply — no doubt a relief to millions of Tokyo commuters and players training for the forthcoming Rugby World Cup. “We are trying everything possible to ease heat risks,” said Taka Okamura, from the 2020 organising committee. “This is not meant to cool the entire atmosphere but have spectators feel refreshed when the flakes of ice touch them,” added Okamura, who acknowledged that the system needed some refinement. One problem became immediately apparent after the volunteers were doused in 300 kilograms (650 pounds) of snow in a matter of minutes: the “spectators” were quickly soaked through and the floor became slippery — resulting in one journalist taking a tumble. Okamura played down any environmental risks from the system — such as CO2 emissions from the machine — and declined to reveal its cost. Tokyo 2020 officials have admitted in the past that anti-heat measures will swell the budget for the Games. Tokyo 2020 organisers have largely won praise for their preparations for the Games. But the sweltering Tokyo heat has already proved a headache and there are fears for athletes, volunteers and spectators if conditions in recent summers are repeated at Games time.
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