Athletes Lukewarm to Doha's October 2020 Olympics Proposal

(ATR) Athletes accustomed to the Olympics in July, August and September tell Around the Rings theyare lukewarm to Games in October if Doha wins the 2020 Olympics and takes the latest possible dates.

"They would have it in October?" asked U.S. shot putter Michelle Carter. "The summer Olympics?"

Doha proposes to hold the Olympics sometime between Sept. 20 and Oct. 20 after the IOC Executive Board ruled that the city could set dates outside the mandated July-August window.

Having the Olympics so late in the year "would be a struggle for most people," Carter told ATR during the World Championships in Daegu. "We start in January. To go all the way through October, and to be in peak form in October, will take a lot of adjustments in training and everything."

Carter will give exactly that a try this October when she competes in the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

World Championships gold medalist Jason Richardson of the U.S. agreed that timing becomes a problem. "It's a very long season," said Richardson, who won the 110-meter hurdles after Cuba's Dayron Robles was disqualified.

"October, I can't even imagine. October is when we have fun, let our hair down and have a few alcoholic beverages.October is our off month. That's when we shut it down. So to still have that racing time is going to be difficult, but if I have to do it, I'll do it."

Post-World War II, the Summer Olympics have been held late in the year before, most notably in 1956 in Melbourne (Nov. 22-Dec. 8), 1964 in Tokyo (Oct. 10-24) and 1968 in Mexico City (Oct. 12-27). The Olympics weren't quite as late in 1988 in Seoul (Sept. 17-Oct. 2) and 2000 in Sydney (Sept. 13-Oct. 1).

Richardson said that if the season were extended, the athletes with coaches who know how to help them peak will come out on top.

But he has no issue with the expected heat. In October the temperature in Doha ranges from highs of 35 degrees Celsius to lows of 23 C, according to the Weather Channel. This is still significantly cooler than the July temperatures, which have a high of 41 C.

"Heat's always a blessing," Richardson said. "I'lltake heat in October over cold in September. The best conditions for the best racing is what I always prefer."

Carter also said heat doesn't bother her. "I'm from Texas," she said. "I train in 100-degree [Fahrenheit] weather in the summertime, so it's normal for me. It would be harder for a lot of other athletes, but for me it would be an easy adjustment."

The other contenders for the 2020 Olympics are Istanbul, Madrid, Rome and Tokyo.

Roberto Gesta de Melo, president of the South American Athletics Confederation, said the later dates are better for the athletes.

"Not to say that I am supporting [a Doha bid]," he told ATR, "but I think that each country should have a right to present acandidature. "And if they have to adapt the period, that's for the best convenience of the athletes. We cannot offer to athletes bad conditions."

Doha is also in the running for the 2017 World Championships in athletics with expected dates in mid-September. The other contender is London.

The 2017 bidding campaign can officially kick off once the Daegu World Champs conclude on Sunday. The IAAF Council will make the decision during its meetings Nov. 11-12.

Mary Wittenberg, race director of the New York City Marathon and president and CEO of the New York Road Runners, said the world's major marathons have learned to make room on the schedule for the Olympic marathon.

"Obviously, what's most important is safety of athletes," she said. "The sport has seen very hot Olympics, and what were expected to be hot Olympics. In Los Angeles, in Joan Benoit Samuelson's race [the women's marathon], it was cooler than people thought.

"Athens was probably the worst we've seen – and those athletes prepared adequately – but I think you want to see the best conditions possible for athletes. I think it was the right thing to do to give the space to fit into the fall."

Written and reported in Daegu by Karen Rosen.

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