Four-party talks Decision items and background of decisions

Four-party talks Decision items and background of the decision November 1, 14:24

The four-party talks agreed to the four items agreed upon by the practitioners.

The first is that the IOC has authority to change the venue.

The second is that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will not be responsible for any new expenses incurred when the marathon / walking venue is changed to Sapporo.

The third is that the expenses related to marathons and racewalks already spent by the Tokyo Metropolitan Organizing Committee will not be borne by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government if they cannot be used for other purposes after careful examination and verification.

The fourth is “Do not change the venue in the future for competitions other than marathons and walks”.

IOC Early Decision Background

If the IOC is leading the way, the reason for promoting the relocation of Sapporo to the Marathon / Racewalk venue in the form of a “top-down” was in addition to protecting the value of the Olympics and the timing of the last minute in anticipation of the actual performance in July next year. was.

The track and field marathon and men ’s 50km walks were held in the terrestrial world championship held in Doha, Qatar, Middle East for about two weeks from September 27, in severe conditions with temperatures exceeding 30 ° C and humidity exceeding 70%. A player who abstained one after another.

Especially in the women's marathon, about 40% of the participating athletes abstained and criticism continued for selecting such venues from the athletes and the media.

World Championship races are broadcast in various countries, and the IOC, which focuses on protecting the lives and health of athletes based on the Athlete First philosophy, triggered this in the form of witnessing the fear of “heat” that has been discussed so far. The main change was made to the venue change.

Tokyo's heat index data and Doha against the backdrop of a strong sense of crisis that the world's top players should not repeat this situation at the Olympics where they should compete in the best competition environment and must protect the value of the Olympics By comparing these data, it was determined that the same could happen in Tokyo, and President Bach took the initiative and pushed the venue change.

In addition, there is a schedule for the tournament approaching July of next year behind the rush to make a conclusion from the top down.

At the end of the World Championships, the Coordinating Committee was approaching the end of October after 10 months until the start of the tournament and checking the preparations for the tournament.

So far, the IOC has taken the form of “bottom-up” in which the Organizing Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the competition organizations discuss the changes in venues and request approval from the IOC Board of Directors.

However, there was no time left to change the venue after repeated discussions this time, and we decided to prioritize the athlete first with the athlete's health as the top priority and promote the venue change in an exceptional “top-down” manner. It was.

Sapporo course Start at Odori Park, goal is the most powerful

When running in Sapporo, the marathon course is based on the existing Hokkaido Marathon plan that arrives and departs from Odori Park in the center of Sapporo.

For the course, IOC had proposed a plan to arrive and depart from Sapporo Dome, but the width of the doorway leading from the dome to the public road is narrow and the period during which the dome can be borrowed is limited.

Already less than 9 months until the tournament, the accumulation of snow will make it difficult to measure the course, and the aim is to report the course direction at the IOC's board meeting next month. Therefore, the existing course is preferred.

However, according to the person concerned, when starting and arriving at Odori Park in Sapporo, it is difficult to set up a large spectator seat because of the space, etc., so there is a possibility that ticket sales will not be performed.

On the other hand, the use of part of the marathon course is also being considered for the course of racewalking.

Challenge is a pile of 1 ticket

In addition to this, there are various issues in moving the marathon and racewalk venue to Sapporo.

One is the handling of watching tickets.

Tickets for watching the men's marathon and women's marathon at the New National Stadium are already on sale.

When moving to Sapporo, the Organizing Committee has a policy of accepting refunds, but the women's marathon is a ticket that includes the women ’s cannonball finals and the men ’s 400 meter qualifying, and how to refund is under consideration.

In addition, for those who bought the tickets, Winner Hideki Suzuki of the Organizing Committee Marketing Bureau said, “I want to respond as politely as possible by snuggling to the person who purchased it, based on the fact that it has been purchased through a lottery.” Talking

2 days

It seems to be a new debate about how to schedule.

Currently, the marathon is scheduled for August 2 for girls, August 9 for boys, race walks for boys 20 kilometers on July 31, girls 20 kilometers on August 7, and men 50 kilometers on August 8. It is.

In response to the IOC's relocation to Sapporo, the International Federation of Athletics began to consider shortening the date of the marathon and races to 3 days, such as a men and women marathon on the same day. It was.

However, the future debate is drawing attention as it affects the overall schedule.

3 Accommodation

Another issue is how to secure accommodation for athletes and related people in Sapporo, where tourists come from all over the country during the summer season.

According to the officials, the IOC has indicated that it does not have to be a “village village” in the athlete village where it can receive services such as 24-hour meals.

However, due to security issues, the Organizing Committee has already begun to coordinate the establishment of accommodations that meet certain standards.

4 Volunteers

Securing management staff and volunteers is also essential for the operation of the event.

In the Tokyo Games, 80,000 people are selected as tournament volunteers called “field casts” who are active in competition venues and villages.

It is not clear how much volunteering is necessary for marathons and racewalking, but the Organizing Committee may also allocate volunteers outside Hokkaido who are applying for `` activities in Sapporo '' in addition to volunteers living in Hokkaido. I'm considering it.

However, it is unclear whether sufficient administrative staff and volunteers can be secured for the long roadside activities necessary for manpower.

5 Legacy of mind

What needs to be taken into consideration when the venue changes from the host city of Tokyo is how to leave a legacy of mind.

The marathon is the Olympic event, and the men's marathon is the only event held at the New National Stadium on the day of the closing ceremony.

According to the Japan Athletics Federation, 525,000 spectators gathered for the MGC = Marathon Grand Championship, which was held in September on the same course as the Tokyo Olympic marathon.

Marathons and racewalks are one of the few events that can be watched along the road without a ticket, and the local people involved were disappointed that they were fostering momentum for the event.

For this reason, President Bach of IOC has expressed his desire to hold a marathon event called the “Olympic Celebration Marathon” using the Tokyo Olympic marathon course as a response to Tokyo residents.

However, the players' desire to “go to the goal at the national stadium” is also left behind, and how to respond to this will be an issue for the future.