Tokyo (AFP)
The city of Tokyo will not oppose the decision of the International Olympic Committee to relocate the marathon and march in northern Japan during the 2020 Olympics, said Friday the governor of the Japanese capital Yuriko Koike.
"We can not agree with the IOC, but we will not block this decision," Koike said after a meeting with Olympic officials and organizers of the Tokyo Olympics.
"In other words, it's a decision without agreement," she creaked.
The IOC has made the choice to hold these events in Sapporo, in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, where summer temperatures are milder than in Tokyo, to protect runners' health.
The International Olympic Committee made its decision last month after saying it was "shocked" by the avalanche of athlete discomfort at the World Athletics Championships held in Doha between late September and early October, under conditions weather conditions that may prevail in Tokyo next summer.
Many athletes had also suffered a lot from the heat during Olympic test events held in Tokyo this summer, in hot conditions with very high humidity. This cocktail is formidable for people in full physical effort or fragile.
The Japanese organizers of the Olympic Games, however, had wrongly made the decision of the IOC, considering that the marathon is a flagship event. Taking place outside the stadium, it was also seen as an opportunity for the Japanese capital to show off against cameras from around the world.
In any case, the IOC had the last word on the subject.
"I think it is now clear that we have an acceptance of this proposal," said Friday John Coates, the chair of the coordination of the Olympics 2020 after the meeting with all stakeholders.
© 2019 AFP