Marathon Anxiety Grips Tokyo Organizers

(ATR) Tokyo is said to be preparing a counter offer to the IOC that would keep the Olympic marathon and race walking events in the city. Last week the IOC announced its intention to hold the athletics road events in Saporro, 800km north of Tokyo.

IOC President Thomas Bach is said to be concerned for the health of athletes after witnessing the troubles in Doha this month at the IAAF World Championships. Dozens of athletes dropped out of races moved to midnight for cooler temperatures and athlete welfare.

Kyoto News reports that Tokyo metropolitan Governor Yuriko Koike is resisting the switch from Tokyo, claiming city hall was left out of the discussions behind the change.

The city is ready to propose a 0500 start time for the road events. That’s one hour earlier than the time already set to minimize the risk of heat problems. And if 0500 isn’t good enough, the suggestion of 0300 start time could be offered by the city.

Countermeasures to the heat of the Tokyo summer have been a hot topic, if you will, for more than a year now. The weather remains one of the biggest concerns for the safety of the 2020 Olympics, with a range of measures involving scheduling as well as technology to lower the risk.

Cooling sprays have been trialed in the test events in the past few months. To keep road surfaces cool, a special paint can be applied that will reflect the heat.

The next meeting of the IOC Coordination Commission set for next week will include special discussions on the heat remedies. And plenty of discussion is expected on the situation with the marathon and race walking.

Commission chair John Coates is supposed to meet with the governor November 1. The meeting could settle the question or postpone a decision pending further study.

But a source at the IOC familiar with the situation tells Around the Rings that Sapporo will be the venue for the athletics road events.

"The marathon will be in Sapporo and everyone will be safe," says the IOC official.

Temperatures in Sapporo would be 5c lower than in Tokyo, assuming normal weather conditions. According to data on weather.com temperatures in Tokyo on August 9, the day set for the final of the men’s marathon, should be in the range of 24c for a 0500 start. On that day the sunrise is 0456, just a few minutes before. That will mean steadily rising temperatures throughout the duration of the two hour race.

While the earlier start times could mitigate complications from the heat in Tokyo, there are logistical issues involved. Largest may be marshaling staff, volunteers and spectators through the early morning hours ahead of the race. Handling the broadcast of these events will also present challenges for staffing and equipment such as lighting that might be not otherwise needed. Ticketing may not be a big issue. The only one of the road events with a ticket is the finish of the men’s marathon.

Reported by Ed Hula.