Fans of long-distance racing may not be capable of seeing the marathon occasion next year at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Instead, they might journey to Sapporo on Hokkaido Island — 832 kilometers away. On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) proposed moving the marathon and long-distance race walking activities to Sapporo. The change was announced fast — with little discussion with nearby organizers or authorities officials. Sapporo officers are excited by way of the inspiration to transport the next 12 months’ events to the northern Japanese city. “We take this as an honor,” Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto stated.
That is now not the case in Tokyo, however. It was regarded to trap officials there with the aid of Marvel. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike turned into now not glad on Thursday. “We are amazed to examine this sudden trade of direction,” she said. She referred to municipal governments’ efforts to arrange the race. Koike, however, Koike no longer disagreed reasoning with the alternative. The Olympic Committee referred to Tokyo’s hot weather and athlete protection. The IOC wrote: “In Sapporo, temperatures throughout the Games period are as low as five to six stages centigrade cooler for the day than in Tokyo.”
The wish is that the cooler temperatures will reduce “pressure” on the runners. Koike said, “Of route, the athletes-first method is extremely vital.” Sapporo isn’t always new to the Olympics. It hosted the 1972 Winter Olympic Games. The city also has expressed a hobby in retaining the 2030 Winter Games. This week’s surprise might be the first step. “I assume this can pave the way for us,” Sapporo’s mayor said.
Why officers proposed the alternate
Olympic officials have acted due to consequences from the current World Track and Field Championships, held last month in Doha, Qatar. Mexico’s Cecilia Perez, middle, collapses after competing in a girls’ triathlon. Look at an occasion at Odaiba Marine Park, a venue for marathon swimming and triathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in Tokyo. Olympic officials say they’ve been concerned about approximately high temperatures in Tokyo at some point in the Games.
In the women’s marathon event, 28 of 68 competitions that started the race failed to finish. In the guys’ race, 18 of 73 failed to complete the course. This happened even with the races being held in the dark while the climate was cooler. The temperature turned into nevertheless 38 stages C at the time, however. Ethiopian distance-jogging tremendous Haile Gebrselassie stated athletes “could have died” in the girls’ race.
The marathons in Tokyo have been to begin at six in the morning to ease the warm impact on runners. The guys’ 50-kilometer race walk very last become anticipated to start at 5:30 in the morning. Tokyo governor Koike stated she wants the IOC to explain the choice “to all the video games’ stakeholders, along with the residents of Tokyo.”
A record released closing year through the countrywide authorities’ Board of Audit said Japan would likely spend $25 billion to assemble the games. Much is public cash besides the $5.6 billion in the privately funded operating price range. However, organizers dispute that quantity. They say it is about $12 billion. There is a heated debate over which charges are immediately related to the Olympics and which aren’t. Tokyo anticipated a total value of about $7.Five billion, while it received the right to maintain the games in 2013.
