Weathernews Inc. (Chiba, Japan; Chihito Kusabiraki/CEO) is proud to be a supporter of seven events and sixteen teams, including Japan’s National Triathlon, Sailing and Women’s Field Hockey Teams. A team of five members of the Weathernews Sports Weather Team were dispatched to Rio de Janeiro to support the Japan teams on-site as they compete in the international-scale sporting event. These experts will take observations near the event venues, and provide the athletes with critical information on weather conditions in order to assist them in maximizing their performance.

Japan Triathlon Team 

Weathernews is listed as an official partner of the Japan Triathlon Union (JTU) in the category of weather forecasting. We provide weather information for events in which the Japan Team participates as well as events sponsored by the JTU. We hope to support the further propagation of triathlon and para-triathlon competitions.

As the triathlon is affected not only by weather and temperature but also winds, currents and waves, Weathernews will provide the Japan Team with hourly forecasts and necessary information for athletes for the race venue. This information will be applied to team decisions like where to start the swimming course, and selecting what type of bicycle tires to use.

JTU Information Strategy Committee Chairman Mr. Koji Murakami commented:

“Looking ahead to our fifth Olympic Triathlon in Rio, our event is one of the most affected by the weather. Because of this, weather forecasts become critical for deciding our race strategy and equipment selection that can become the line between winning or losing. Weathernews’ worldwide network was set up for protecting safety at sea, so it was natural that it would be applied to the Triathlon event. The advances in forecasting recently pioneered by Weathernews will become a powerful weapon for the Japan Triathlon team. So I have great expectations for the know-how Weathernews has gained being useful for safety management of athletes in the Age Group both domestic and abroad starting here in Rio.”

Japan Sailing Team 

Accurate weather forecasts are particularly important for the sport of sailing. Naturally, wind speed and direction, currents and wave heights have a greater influence on the details of the race and its results in this sporting event than others. Highly precise and detailed information is necessary particularly for deciding the sailing plan during the race when the wind changes. Weathernews began supporting the sailing team in December 2015 at their training camp, and our service was deemed valuable so as to be requested to also support the team directly at the Rio de Janeiro event.

Weathernews’ core business has been providing route advisories for the shipping industry since 1986, which means over thirty years of experience and know-how in this field is now being applied to sailboat racing.

 

Medical and Science Team Leader Aiko Sato commented:

“Sailing is a sport where you need the combined power to balance the physical strength for steering the boat, the technique to draw its maximum speed and fight the wind with the wits to make it an ally. In order to catch a wind with the power to sustain the race, meteorological knowledge is critical, and we think about the influence of topography and wind patterns in order to catch changing winds, too. Sailors in the race will apply weather information so that we can get moving even a little bit at the beginning of the race. We will apply what we learn in Rio again in 2020 for the Tokyo Olympics with the support of Weathernews. So please read the winds of victory for the Japan Sailing Team!”

Japan Women’s Field Hockey Team

Weathernews is also providing information to the Sakura Japan women’s field hockey team. Rain, temperature and humidity conditions will influence whether or not they bring home a medal. For example, if the rains forms puddles on the field, the ball will not travel far, so gauging the amount of precipitation beforehand on the day of the match will be necessary from training for taking the appropriate countermeasures.

Weathernews has also supported the team on their travels to Europe in late April and Australia in late May. The team found our information useful enough that they have requested our support again for their pre-tournament training camp and the international sporting event in Rio de Janeiro.

Sakura Japan’s coach, Yuji Nagai commented:

From this year Sakura Japan will received the support of Weathernews Inc., and we will apply it to the players’ physical condition and preparation for the match based on detailed weather information. Temperature, humidity and rain have an effect the amount fluid intake required for athletes, and of course the condition of the playing field. If we know that it will rain before the match, I can explain countermeasures for set up and tactics to players so they concentrate on the game without worrying about the weather. Because we will have Weathernews support again this time in Rio de Janeiro, I think they will be a powerful ally supporting us at the Olympics in Rio.”

Please click here to get PDF