Japan launches project to combat extreme heat in school gymnasiums

The School Gymnasium Insulation Project Executive Committee has launched the ‘Escape the Sauna Gymnasium Project’ to address extreme heat in Japanese school gymnasiums. The initiative aims to transform these facilities into safe environments for sports and emergency shelters.

Data from the Ministry of Education shows that while 99.6% of classrooms are air-conditioned, only 31.7% of gymnasiums have cooling systems. A survey by SDGs in Sports revealed that instructors in non-air-conditioned gyms lost an average of 8.9 hours of practice time this summer—four times more than those in cooled facilities. Furthermore, one in two instructors reported that the heat levels felt life-threatening.

The project focuses on three main goals: ensuring safe sports environments during heatwaves, improving building insulation to enhance energy efficiency, and reducing regional disparities in cooling availability to protect citizens during disasters. Key activities include conducting field research at model gymnasiums, providing technical advice to local governments, and utilizing athlete voices, such as Kento Momota and Chiharu Shida, to raise social awareness.