Bushfires could impact tennis' first Grand Slam of 2020
Melbourne, home of the Australian Open, is the capital and most populous city of Victoria, one of the six states that make up Australia. The city is in the southeast corner of the country along the coast where most people live and most of the bushfires have been burning. The major cities have largely been spared, but dense smoke has caused severe problems in some places like the Australian capital of Canberra. An ATP Challenger event scheduled for Canberra in early January had to be moved about 400 miles west to Bendigo because of excessive smoke in the atmosphere.
There appears to be little danger from fires at the moment, but heat is always a factor Down Under. This year, smoke and the toxic elements it carries is an active concern, especially in combination with the familiar Melbourne heat.
The city has already closed a number of beaches and pools, sporting events have been canceled and construction workers have been forced to abandon outdoor projects. Ambulance calls for people struggling to breathe also have risen significantly.
The Air Quality Rating (AQI) consists of five bands from one to five, "determined by analyzing concentrations of air pollutants at Melbourne Park and in particular, the fine particulate matter rating (PM2.5)."
Play is allowed under the first three bands -- "good" (below 27), "moderate" (27-62) and "air may affect sensitive groups" (62-97) -- but if the level is between 97 and 200, "match play may be suspended," though that will be up to the tournament referee.
There appears to be little danger from fires at the moment, but heat is always a factor Down Under. This year, smoke and the toxic elements it carries is an active concern, especially in combination with the familiar Melbourne heat.
The city has already closed a number of beaches and pools, sporting events have been canceled and construction workers have been forced to abandon outdoor projects. Ambulance calls for people struggling to breathe also have risen significantly.
The Air Quality Rating (AQI) consists of five bands from one to five, "determined by analyzing concentrations of air pollutants at Melbourne Park and in particular, the fine particulate matter rating (PM2.5)."
Play is allowed under the first three bands -- "good" (below 27), "moderate" (27-62) and "air may affect sensitive groups" (62-97) -- but if the level is between 97 and 200, "match play may be suspended," though that will be up to the tournament referee.