Latest news with #GangwonFC
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Japan Times
Cheer with caution: expert advises sports fans have game plan for extreme heat
There's nothing like watching sports in person. The smell of food from the concession stands wafting through the air, the vibrations of the crowd, the pre-event buzz, the bright lights, the applause, chants, gasps and boos — it's a multisensory experience that cannot be fully replicated on a screen. But as summers get hotter and longer due to climate change, fans need to be wary of the health risks of sitting in the glaring sun for hours while watching their favorite team and athletes compete. The consequences of extreme heat exposure range from dehydration to heatstroke and even death. In May, a soccer match between South Korea's Gwangju FC and Gangwon FC was stopped after a 13-year-old girl in the stands collapsed from heatstroke. In July, play at Wimbledon was paused twice after two tennis fans, one of them a 79-year-old woman, fell ill in the heat during the men's semifinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz, with both requiring medical treatment. Last month in Japan, a man in his 80s was taken away by ambulance after he showed signs of heatstroke at a high school baseball game in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. Heatstroke can occur even without direct exposure to sunlight. It happens when your body fails to regulate its temperature, which can happen in any hot environment — shaded or not. According to an internet survey conducted by Heatstroke Zero, a project run by the Japan Weather Association, nearly 90% of the 137 respondents who experienced heatstroke while watching a sporting event during the summer months in 2017, 2018 and 2019 were outside, with 25% of those sitting under a roof. Most respondents developed symptoms — from dizziness, nausea and heavy sweating to muscle cramps, seizures and unresponsiveness — while the game was happening, but about 30% had delayed reactions, feeling unwell either on their way home or after arriving home. Tennis fans had to contend with a heat wave in England during Wimbledon this year. | REUTERS The majority of these cases took place in July and August, and 57% occurred between noon and 3 p.m. It's also important to note that between 22% to 33% occurred in cloudy and rainy conditions. Heatstroke doesn't play favorites. Playing sports in extreme heat is dangerous, but watching sports in hot, humid conditions can be just as risky. Therefore, it is important that anyone attending sporting events in the summer take precautions to stay safe. It's best to avoid going out during the hottest hours of the day, but sometimes that can't be avoided — for example, if you're catching an afternoon ball game at Japan's iconic (and mostly uncovered) Koshien Stadium. So what do we do? 'In order to save lives from extreme heat, the safest approach is to cancel sports altogether. But is that what we want?' said Yasufumi Miyake, the former head of Teikyo University Hospital's advanced emergency medical center who is well versed in heatstroke. 'It's easy to cancel summertime outdoor athletic events, pool activities and physical education classes in favor of indoor sports in air-conditioned gymnasiums. But you can't build a strong body that can adapt to heat that way. And that kind of defeats the purpose of sports.' Miyake has suggested several steps organizers could take, such as setting up a heatstroke prevention committee a year in advance, creating a safety manual, getting educated on how to diagnose, treat, and prevent heat-related illness and collaborating with local fire departments and hospitals. Dehydration is one of the main concerns for spectators. Many professional sporting events in Japan prohibit visitors from bringing bottled or canned drinks and hard-sided coolers into stadiums and arenas, but generally allow empty water bottles or bottles filled with non-alcoholic beverages. Understanding the venue's bag policy is essential to ensure proper hydration. Bad news for beer lovers: heat plus alcohol can equal trouble. While many fans consume booze to unwind and have fun, Miyake points out that alcohol can increase the risk of dehydration and heat illnesses. Fans try to stay cool while watching the Bengals during the team's training camp in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 25. | IMAGN IMAGES / VIA REUTERS 'Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it causes more urination and therefore speeds up dehydration,' he said. 'Fans should drink plenty of fluids, anything but alcohol, and enough to urinate at normal frequency. The amount of drink that's right for you will depend on your age, body size and level of heat tolerance.' Checking the weather forecast before heading out is also a must-do. Look at both temperature and humidity. And think carefully about whether you want to bring young children, the elderly and those with health problems to the event, as they are particularly vulnerable to heat. In Japan, a general heatstroke alert is issued when the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index is predicted to reach 33 degrees Celsius or higher. If the WBGT, a measurement that takes into account air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and air flow, is forecast to exceed 35 C at all observation points in a prefecture, a "special' heatstroke alert is issued. Heat advisories and warnings should be taken seriously as they indicate dangerous weather conditions that can have deadly implications. 'People in high-risk groups should keep up to date with weather information, heat alerts and WBGT around the sports venue, and consider not going or leaving early if conditions look unsafe,' Miyake said. Finally, pay attention to symptoms that could indicate your body is overheating. If you notice any signs of heatstroke, quickly notify nearby people for help. It is also important to drink water, move to a cool place and cool your body down. Miyake says you should not hesitate to call an ambulance if symptoms are severe, such as impaired consciousness. 'Even if you don't have the symptoms that are common, it doesn't mean you don't have heatstroke. Feeling sick after being in the sun could signal heatstroke,' Miyake said. 'If you suspect heatstroke, follow the FIRE procedure, which stands for fluid, ice, rest and emergency call.'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Impactful Yang quietly penning a redemption story'
As if Daizen Maeda's mesmeric form wasn't enough for Celtic fans, Yang Hyun-jun has now decided he wants to join the party. And he's more than welcome! The South Korean winger has had an indifferent time in Glasgow following his arrival in July 2023 from Gangwon FC in his homeland, but if recent evidence is anything to go by that's about to be flipped on its head. His match-winning performance in Paisley on Saturday was the latest episode in the 22-year old's redemption story at Celtic, but in truth he's been quietly penning those chapters since the turn of the year. Five goals and five assists in just 558 minutes played in 2025 tell us that on current form he's now providing a goal contribution every 55 minutes. Pretty incredible for a player many fans had consigned to the ever-growing pile of ineffective signings from THAT failed transfer window of summer 2023. But while it looks like there's no future in Glasgow for the likes of Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki and fellow countryman Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Yang – who joined as the K League's young player of the year - seems determined to prove the club were right to offer him a five-year deal in the first place. For a then 21-year-old to make the 9,000km move from South Korea to Scotland can't have been easy but now he seems far more at ease in his adopted homeland. The key for the youngster is to maintain the consistency he has found recently, but there's no doubt he has the backing of the manager, and that in turn should give him the confidence to do so. Brendan Rodgers deserves a great deal of credit for sticking by a player who has looked shorn of belief in large spells this season. The manager persevered and is now seeing the benefits. The majority of the credit must go to the player himself. He has never shied away from the challenges of breaking into a side with talents such as Nicolas Kuhn, James Forrest, Maeda and now Jota occupying the wide areas. Crucially he also has the backing of his team-mates and that could be seen clearly in how they celebrated with him on Saturday night. Speaking after Yang's 26-minute man-of-the-match display against St Mirren, Arne Engels said: "It was just unbelievable. I'm really happy for him. Yang is always training at 100%. A really amazing performance from him." The key, however, at Celtic isn't what you did in the last game, it's what you'll do in the next one, and that now means Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final with Hibs. If Yang can add to those 10 goal contributions this weekend, and follow it up against Rangers the following week, we may well be looking at the latest rising star in this increasingly exciting team that Rodgers is building. Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange
BBC News
04-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Impactful Yang quietly penning a redemption story'
As if Daizen Maeda's mesmeric form wasn't enough for Celtic fans, Yang Hyun-jun has now decided he wants to join the he's more than welcome!The South Korean winger has had an indifferent time in Glasgow following his arrival in July 2023 from Gangwon FC in his homeland, but if recent evidence is anything to go by that's about to be flipped on its match-winning performance in Paisley on Saturday was the latest episode in the 22-year old's redemption story at Celtic, but in truth he's been quietly penning those chapters since the turn of the goals and five assists in just 558 minutes played in 2025 tell us that on current form he's now providing a goal contribution every 55 incredible for a player many fans had consigned to the ever-growing pile of ineffective signings from THAT failed transfer window of summer while it looks like there's no future in Glasgow for the likes of Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki and fellow countryman Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Yang – who joined as the K League's young player of the year - seems determined to prove the club were right to offer him a five-year deal in the first a then 21-year-old to make the 9,000km move from South Korea to Scotland can't have been easy but now he seems far more at ease in his adopted key for the youngster is to maintain the consistency he has found recently, but there's no doubt he has the backing of the manager, and that in turn should give him the confidence to do Rodgers deserves a great deal of credit for sticking by a player who has looked shorn of belief in large spells this season. The manager persevered and is now seeing the majority of the credit must go to the player himself. He has never shied away from the challenges of breaking into a side with talents such as Nicolas Kuhn, James Forrest, Maeda and now Jota occupying the wide he also has the backing of his team-mates and that could be seen clearly in how they celebrated with him on Saturday after Yang's 26-minute man-of-the-match display against St Mirren, Arne Engels said: "It was just unbelievable. I'm really happy for him. Yang is always training at 100%. A really amazing performance from him."The key, however, at Celtic isn't what you did in the last game, it's what you'll do in the next one, and that now means Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final with Yang can add to those 10 goal contributions this weekend, and follow it up against Rangers the following week, we may well be looking at the latest rising star in this increasingly exciting team that Rodgers is can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external
