Typhoon affecting Olympic matches

Jul 28, 2021, 08:15 am

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Flags are flapping in the wind at the Yumenoshima Archery Field in Tokyo during the semifinals of the men’s team archery event on July 26, 2021. Tokyo Games organizers rescheduled individual events in the archery on Sunday due to approaching Typhoon No. 8./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday intern reporter Cha Dong-hwan

The Tokyo capital area and the Tohoku region, where the Tokyo Olympic Games are held, has come under the influence of Typhoon No. 8 starting Tuesday, forcing some Olympic events to be rescheduled.

As of 6 a.m. on Tuesday, the typhoon was located around 230 kilometers southeast of Choshi in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo and it was moving towards west-southwest at slow speed, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The typhoon, with a central atmospheric pressure of 990 hectopascals, has a maximum sustained wind speed of 20 meters per second and a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 30 meters per second. Winds of more than 15 meters per second are blowing within 600 kilometers northeast of the center, and within 390 kilometers southwest of the center. The capital region and northern Tohoku are in the strong wind zone, and the Choshi Prefecture had observed a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 25.8 meters per second, NHK reported.

The typhoon is expected to travel northward to reach the eastern sea of Kanto, and land in the Tohoku region early Wednesday.

Downpours, accompanied by thunder, are likely to hit the Tohoku and the capital areas until Wednesday. The 24-hour rainfall may reach up to 200 millimeters in Tohoku and 100-150 millimeters in the Kanto-Koshin region. The typhoon is expected to leave the Japanese archipelago on Thursday after passing through the Tohoku region.

The typhoon is already affecting some Olympic matches. The games organizing committee have moved around rowing and archery schedule due to the typhoon, according to Kyodo News.

The organizers said it plans to hold the women’s soccer games in Miyagi with spectators as scheduled, however it will respond promptly if it is affected by the typhoon.

The organizers moved the medal events in the surfing competition, to be held in Chiba Prefecture, a day earlier than expected.

#typhoon #Typhoon No. 8 #Tokyo Olympic