Behind the Scenes at Aichi-Nagoya 2026: How Weather Information Helps Protect Athletes and Staff from 45 Countries and Regions

The 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and the 5th Asian Para Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 are bringing athletes together for exciting competitions, mainly in and around Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. Behind the scenes, a system is helping organizers decide whether events can go ahead and confirm that personnel are safe in an emergency.

That system is Weathernews for business, a weather information service for companies. As an Official Supplier, Weathernews is providing the service to approximately 40,000 people involved in the Games. How is it helping keep these major international sporting events running safely and smoothly? Let’s take a closer look.

Supporting 40,000 Event Staff with the “Weathernews” Weather App

The 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 opened on September 19 and concluded on October 4. The Games were held over 17 days across 54 venues. Japan delivered outstanding performances, winning a record 83 gold medals.

The 5th Asian Para Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 opened on October 18 and is currently underway, with the closing ceremony scheduled for October 24. The Games are being held over seven days across 19 venues.

In the main host area around Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, the weather tends to be unsettled in September and October. Data from the same period over the past five years (2021-2025) shows that rain was recorded on 61 of the 180 days, meaning it rained roughly once every three days. This time of year can also bring hazardous weather, including approaching typhoons and linear rainbands that produce prolonged, intense rainfall. In fact, weather warnings associated with approaching typhoons were issued twice during the five-year period.

For athletes and staff visiting from overseas who may be unfamiliar with Japan’s weather, accurate weather information is essential to staying safe.

To help the Games run safely, Weathernews is providing Weathernews for business, a corporate weather service built around its weather app, to approximately 40,000 people. These include organizing committee staff, volunteers, and team leaders from participating countries and regions.

Weathernews has previously provided weather information to organizing committees of international sporting events. However, this is the first time the company has provided the app to every team leader from participating countries and regions. This initiative also reflects the organizing committee’s strong commitment to safety.

Use the Latest AI Typhoon Forecasts to Plan Precautions a Week in Advance

During the Games, a large cruise ship moored at Nagoya Port was used to accommodate athletes. When a typhoon approaches, strong winds and high waves can cause mooring lines to break, potentially causing a vessel to collide with a pier or another ship. The vessel may therefore need to be moved offshore to a safer location before conditions become dangerous.

Accurate information about projected typhoon paths and conditions at sea was therefore critical to operational decisions.

Weathernews for business goes well beyond standard forecasts for the areas around competition venues. One of its key strengths is that users can access and analyze the latest high-accuracy forecast data themselves, helping them make important decisions on the ground.

Direct Comparison of Multiple State-of-the-Art AI Models

The service incorporates the latest forecasting models, including Google’s weather AI model, WeatherNext (FNV3). AI weather forecasting has advanced rapidly in recent years, and AI models are now outperforming conventional physics-based simulations in a growing number of cases. Users can compare multiple models on a single screen, helping them identify differences in projected typhoon tracks and assess forecast uncertainty in detail at an early stage.

Visualize Potential Typhoon Risks Up to 15 Days Ahead

Under Japan’s Meteorological Service Act, typhoon track and intensity forecasts shared through general media outlets such as television are generally limited to five days ahead. Weathernews for business, by contrast, shows the risk of typhoon formation up to 15 days ahead on an easy-to-read, color-coded map.

By identifying early signs of typhoon development before a storm forms, users can avoid last-minute disruption and start adjusting schedules or considering evacuation plans well over a week in advance.

That extra time to prepare helps organizers make informed decisions about Games operations.

An AI agent that overcomes language barriers to address users' concerns, used by staff in 45 countries and regions

In settings where people from diverse nationalities gather, the “language barrier” is a significant challenge when it comes to ensuring safety. The Weathernews app not only supports English but also features an AI agent that responds to user inquiries in their native language. Thanks to this feature, even overseas staff who do not understand Japanese can now accurately understand the information and take appropriate action while viewing the same weather updates.

An AI Agent Helping Staff from 45 Countries and Regions Overcome Language Barriers and Address Their Concerns

When people from many different countries come together, language barriers can make it harder to keep everyone safe. The Weathernews app is available in English and also features an AI agent that answers users’ questions in their own language. This helps staff who do not speak Japanese understand weather information accurately and coordinate their actions more smoothly using the same weather data.

A Calendar That Clearly Shows the Risk of Competition Cancellations Due to Rain and Wind

The 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 features 300 events over 25 days. With competitions running simultaneously across 54 venues, determining whether each event can proceed based on weather conditions is a major operational challenge.

To address this, the organizing team uses the Schedule feature in Weathernews for business. By registering competition dates in advance, users can see the likelihood of weather-related cancellations on a calendar, making it easier to manage the risks for each event. The management screen uses three color-coded levels (Normal, Caution, and Warning) to show risks at a glance. Users can also check weather risks at each venue up to 10 days ahead, helping them adjust schedules when considering postponements.

Illustration: The Schedule feature displays competition dates alongside risk levels for wind speeds and rainfall.

A Feature That Allows Staff to Report Their Safety Status Directly Through the App

Weathernews for business also includes a Safety Confirmation feature designed to help organizations account for their personnel during disasters. When an earthquake, typhoon, linear rainband, or other hazardous event occurs, the feature helps organizers quickly confirm whether staff are safe and assess whether event operations can continue.

The service is also used to support business continuity planning (BCP) for approximately 4,000 organizing committee employees and other personnel.

For example, if an earthquake occurs, the app can automatically send emergency earthquake alerts, tsunami warnings, and other notifications to staff in the affected area based on their location (*1). Staff can then report their safety status through the app (*2).

*1: If location services are turned off, notifications are based on weather information for the workplace or home location registered in advance. *2: The Games organizing committee and Weathernews have entered into a service agreement for the provision of weather information, under which Weathernews supports Games operations from a weather perspective through Weathernews for business. Although the Safety Confirmation feature is outside the scope of the agreement's specified services, it is being used as an additional feature of the system to support Games operations.

At major international sporting events, weather information has become an essential part of the infrastructure that helps ensure both the success of competitions and the safety of participants.

Preparing for weather risks is also an important part of addressing the business continuity challenges companies face today: sharing information reliably with people from diverse backgrounds, giving teams on the ground a common source of information so they can make their own decisions, and quickly assessing the situation when disaster strikes.

Many companies use Weathernews for business because it brings together everything from anticipating weather risks to taking initial action during a disaster, including confirming that personnel are safe.

To protect employees and keep businesses running amid ever-changing weather risks, Weathernews will continue using the latest advances in weather technology to help keep people, communities, and businesses safe.

For more information about Weathernews for business, visit: https://wxtech.weathernews.com/en/products/wfb/

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