Olympics 2020: Tokyo's government rejects moving the marathon and walking competitions to Sapporo

Tokyo (SID) Plans to relocate the marathon and walking competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics have been rejected by the Tokyo city government. Governor Yuriko Koike criticized the actions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), describing the plan on Japanese television as a "bolt from the blue." In addition, no government representatives were involved in the discussions surrounding the relocation plans. Due to the disturbing images at the World Athletics Championships in Doha and the impending heat in Tokyo, the IOC, in collaboration with the world association IAAF, suggested moving the competitions to Sapporo, 800 km north. The temperatures there are lower than in Tokyo, where over 35 degrees and high humidity are expected. “I don’t agree with the Sapporo solution,” Koike said. John Coates, chairman of the responsible IOC commission, immediately defended the plans. "We didn't want Tokyo to be remembered for similar images to those seen in Doha at the marathon and walking competitions," he said before meeting Koike on Friday. However, Coates promised to take into account the "great disappointment" of the people of Tokyo and the economic disadvantages for the city caused by the move in future talks. In order to avoid the change of venue, government representatives had suggested postponing the start time. According to Japanese media, the competitions could start between three and five in the morning. "There is such a plan, some reports say three in the morning, but that would not be the case," Koike said. However, Coates described the proposal as "impractical" due to transportation issues and the difficulty of filming in the dark. The final decision on whether to host the competitions in Sapporo will be made at a special meeting on October 30th and November 1st. “The health and well-being of athletes is always our focus,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. The extreme conditions in Tokyo are the dominant theme a good nine months before the start of the Olympic Games (July 24th to August 9th). During the test competitions this summer, the organizers have already tried out various cooling measures.

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Olympics 2020: Tokyo's government rejects moving the marathon and walking competitions to Sapporo

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