(ATR) The decision to move the men’s marathon from Tokyo to Sapporo for next summer’s Olympics means the event will no longer be run on the last day of the 2020 Games.
Tokyo 2020 organizing committee chief Yoshiro Mori confirmed on Thursday that the men’s marathon would be held earlier than August 9, Kyodo reported.
Leaving the men’s marathon in its traditional spot in the schedule would make it extremely difficult for the athletes to travel the more than 800 kilometers from Sapporo to Tokyo in time for the closing ceremony. Post-race doping tests and other requirements would delay the athletes’ departure from Sapporo for hours after the race.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike last Friday reluctantly accepted the IOC’s unilateral decision to move both the men’s and women’s marathons along with the men’s and women’s 20km walks and men’s 50km walk, to Sapporo. The IOC says the heat of Tokyo will be too much of a threat to the safety of athletes in the grueling road races.
Mori met with Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto and Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki on Thursday to discuss the relocation of the five road races to the host city of the 1972 Winter Games.
"We hope the organizing committee decides the schedule and course soon, and gives attention to reducing the impact on the lives of our citizens as they make arrangements," Akimoto said, as quoted by Kyodo.
Organizers are considering a plan to hold the men’s and women’s marathons on the same day to limit both costs and the impact on Sapporo.
Kyodo reports that organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto will visit Sapporo on Friday to get the ball rolling on preparations for the events that are less than nine months away.
There does seem to be agreement on who will pay for the relocation of the endurance races.
The governor of Hokkaido made it clear that the organizing committee should "shoulder the cost" while Mori said that the expenses shouldn’t be a burden to Hokkaido.
A good showing by Sapporo in handling these events next summer could give the city a boost in its quest to host the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Written by Gerard Farek
For general comments or questions,click here.
Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
Últimas Noticias
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore
Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing
Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts
The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power
Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022
Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
