The Tokyo Olympics opened, unofficially, with matches that began this Wednesday, July 21, in full sun. And the 70,000 volunteers make sure everything runs smoothly for…

Tokyo Olympics: volunteers trained to assist athletes in the event of a natural disaster

Audio 01:37

At the Tokyo Olympics, the 70,000 volunteers ensure that everything runs smoothly for the athletes and supervisors.

REUTERS - KAI PFAFFENBACH

Text by: RFI Follow

7 mins

The Tokyo Olympics opened, unofficially, with matches that began this Wednesday, July 21, in full sun.

And the 70,000 volunteers ensure that everything runs smoothly for the athletes and supervisors.

This includes ensuring that they can assist them in the event of a natural disaster during the Games.

Publicity

With our special

correspondent

in Tokyo,

Clea Broadhurst

These little musical notes are the melody broadcast every day at 5 p.m. sharp throughout the archipelago: it is to check that the city's loudspeakers are working, because it is through this that the authorities declare emergencies or communicate in the event of natural disasters.

From an early age, the Japanese have been accustomed and above all trained to know how to behave if a disaster strikes: you get down to the ground, you protect your head.

Things volunteers were reminded of during training sessions, explains Mai Tarumi: “

Natural disaster response was covered during an online training.
We were told that we had to first get ourselves to safety.
Then you have to give directions to people on site, be it spectators or staff, to help them evacuate.

Very high temperatures

The other element to which they will have to be careful is the hot weather: “

As for the heat, as we spend some time outside, we are recommended to ensure that we drink enough, and to contact the staff quickly as soon as you start to feel bad.
And to rest regularly.

An increasingly heavy heat grips Tokyo - with temperatures felt approaching 40 ° - this is also why events such as the marathon or football have been relocated to northern Japan.

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Also to listen:
Covid-19: the Japanese unhappy with the
maintenance of the Olympic Games

♦

Very discreet advertisements

The Olympics begin this Friday, and yet there are few signs that they are taking place in the Japanese capital as the advertisements are discreet. Flagrant in Tokyo: no advertising on the buses, rare are those in the subway. The sponsors themselves keep a low profile in order to align themselves with public opinion; even Toyota is stepping back, no official will attend the opening ceremony, although the company is one of the main sponsors of the Games. No advertising related to the event will be broadcast by the Japanese group.

As you know, many people among the population are worried about the holding of the Olympic Games, who have doubts about the continuation.

So I think the sponsors and the organizers are aware of these feelings and avoid trying to generate excitement around the event.

For example, there were to be public retransmission events in Tokyo, but with the Covid-19, the organizers saw that the situation did not lend itself to it.

Tokyo Olympics: volunteers trained to assist athletes in the event of a natural disaster

Tokyo Olympics: volunteers trained to assist athletes in the event of a natural disaster

Very high temperatures

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