I've woken up somewhat refreshed I have to say and despite the 4.15am alarm call, I am somewhat ready to go. So its Day 1, uniform collection and orientation. Its great to be back at EQP ( I visited the venue on 2019 for the Ready Steady Tokyo pre-test) so I comfortable know where most of the facilities are.
I've been lucky enough to be allocated the wonderful Chris Elliott BVSc (hons) MANZCVS DACVSMR, who is the Veterinary Services Officer at Tokyo 2020. His good humoured emails have kept us in the loop throughout, meaning that from the get-go we knew what to expect from the moment the wheels hit the tarmac.
Chris was quickly on hand to get us through the initial security and with a big bundle of uniform in hand, I quickly headed off to look no longer like the new girl, but part of the team.
Having been whizzed around on the golf cart with the other arriving Vet's we quickly worked out all the important areas including where to eat, get drink etc.
Nothing really quite prepares you for the insane temperature and humidity of Tokyo and my hair has already adopted the "humid frizz"
My day in the Vet Clinic has mainly been setting up my equipment and files for the next 3 weeks ahead, coupled with a briefing from Göran Åkerström, Veterinary Director at FEI. So I am all set and ready to start the thermography tomorrow.
At the height of the midday sun, I went across to the 8 american barn stables blocks to check on the climate within the barns and to ensure that the climate was suiting. To do this I use an Extech HT Heat Stress Meter, which works on the principle of WBGT. This simple device detects the required information of temperature and humidity and it was great to see how effective the air conditioning was throughout all the barns. Very cool horses and happy teams!