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Agence France-Presse

The marathon and race walks at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics could be moved to Sapporo where temperatures will be “significantly lower”, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
The IOC is considering the move because temperatures in Tokyo during the July 24-August 9 Games could reach the high 30s Celsius.
In Sapporo, more than 800 kilometres (500 miles) further north, they would be five to six degrees cooler during the day.
“Athletes’ health and well-being are always at the heart of our concerns,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement.
“The new far-reaching proposals to move the marathon and race walking events show how seriously we take such concerns.

“The Olympic Games are the platform where athletes can give ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ performances, and these measures ensure they have the conditions to give their best.”
The plan to change the location of the events has yet to be rubber stamped.

HE. HAS. DONE. IT.@EliudKipchoge is the first human to run a marathon in less than two hours!

His official time of 1:59:40 is now immortal.#INEOS159 #NoHumanIsLimited pic.twitter.com/wD6clIzHM0
— Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) October 12, 2019

The initiative will need the backing of all of the major stakeholders, notably the host city Tokyo, the national Olympic committees and the relevant broadcasters.
The IOC coordination commission for Tokyo 2020 will dedicate a special session in its meeting in Tokyo at the end of the month to measures to deal with the heat.

When Tokyo last hosted the Olympics in 1964 the marathon – won by the great Ethiopian Abebe Bikila – was run at 1pm but that was in the month of October, not August as will be the case next year.
At the recent world championships in Doha, both marathons started at midnight but the heat and humidity still presented massive problems.
Ruth Chepngetich won the women’s race in a sluggish 2 hours, 32 minutes and 43 seconds – 17 minutes outside Paula Radcliffe’s then world record – while 28 of the 68 starters failed to finish.
The men’s race was held in cooler conditions but Lelisa Desisa’s winning time of 2:10:40 was over nine minutes slower than the world record.

“We have been working closely with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 on the potential weather conditions at next year’s Olympic Games and will continue to work with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 on the proposal to move the road events to Sapporo,” said International Amateur Athletics Federations’ president Sebastian Coe.
“Giving athletes the best platform for their performances within the environment they are in is central to all major events.
“We will work with the organisers to create the very best marathon and race walk courses for next year’s Olympic Games.”


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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Tokyo Olympics marathon and race walks could be moved to Sapporo: IOC

The Tokyo Olympics marathon could be staged in cooler Sapporo. Photo: EPA

epa07900068 Felicien Muhitira of Rwanda competes in the men's marathon during the IAAF World Athletics Championships 2019 at the Al Corniche Water Front in Doha, Qatar, 06 October 2019. EPA-EFE/NOUSHAD THEKKAYIL

Photos: Twitter

epa07899973 Athletes compete in the men's marathon during the IAAF World Athletics Championships 2019 at the Al Corniche Water Front in Doha, Qatar, 06 October 2019. EPA-EFE/NOUSHAD THEKKAYIL

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The long-distance events could be held in the cooler northern Japanese city over fears it would be too hot to run the races in the capital during August



The long-distance events could be held in the cooler northern Japanese city over fears it would be too hot to run the races in the capital


Tokyo Olympics marathon and race walks could be moved to Sapporo: IOC

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The long-distance events could be held in the cooler northern Japanese city over fears it would be too hot to run the races in the capital during August

The long-distance events could be held in the cooler northern Japanese city over fears it would be too hot to run the races in the capital during August