Tokyo Olympics Staff Given Earpieces to Monitor for Heatstroke Risk

Tokyo summers are notoriously hot and humid, with temperatures soaring to highs of 35 Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and average humidity levels ranging from 50 to 80 percent. For Tokyo’s 1964 Summer Olympics, the games were pushed to October to avoid the city’s midsummer heat. As this year’s Olympics remain scheduled for July and August, many precautionary measures have been taken.

To combat the risk of heat-related illness, Alibaba, a TOP Partner of the Olympic Games, has developed an ear-worn device that keeps track of the body temperatures and heart rates of Olympic onsite staff in Tokyo. Multiple Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) meters are also set up at 14 outdoor competition venues to monitor heat, humidity, and sunlight levels. The collective data is aggregated in the cloud and provides real-time tracking, warnings, and recommendations for each user.

“The cloud-based technology provided by Alibaba plays an important role here. The technology is used for WBGT measurement at the venue and the monitoring and prediction of the heatstroke risks for the staff. By working with Alibaba together with our other Worldwide Olympic partners, the organizing committee is determined to provide a safe tournament environment,” said Hidemasa Nakamura, Chief of the Main Operations Centre (MOC) of the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.