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OLYMPIC 2020: MARATHON, RACE WALKS MOVED FROM TOKYO TO SAPPORO
BY DUNCAN MACKAY
The Olympic marathon and race walking events for next year’s Olympic Games have been moved from Tokyo to Sapporo, it has been announced on Wednesday.
The move to Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan, will mean significantly lower temperatures for the athletes during the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) claimed.
In Sapporo, which hosted the 1972 Winter Olympic Games, temperatures during the Games period are as much as five to six degrees centigrade cooler during the day than in Tokyo, more than 800 kilometres further south than the Japanese capital.
Concerns over the heat at Tokyo 2020 have grown in recent months after more than 50 people died in the city in July after temperatures of 40 degrees.
“Athletes’ health and well-being are always at the heart of our concerns,” IOC President Thomas Bach said upon his arrival here to attend the last day of the Association of National Olympic Committees World Beach Games.
“A range of measures to protect the athletes have already been announced.
“The new far-reaching proposals to move the marathon and race walking events show how seriously we take such concerns.”
This latest initiative by the IOC and Tokyo 2020 comes on top of other heat countermeasures which are already planned and being implemented on the recommendations of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission Adverse Weather Impact Expert Working Group (the IOC Working Group).
They include the longer distance events over 5,000 metres being scheduled in the evening and not in the morning, all morning matches at the rugby sevens finishing before 12pm and mountain bike races being delayed until 3pm.
It had already been announced marathon start times had been brought forward to counteract temperatures expected to exceed 30 degrees at 6am local time in Tokyo.
Special paint coatings sprayed on roads to reduce roadside temperatures was another initiative being considered to make conditions more manageable for the runners and walkers.
But now it has been decided that the races need to be moved.
The IOC appear determined to avoid a repeat of what occurred at the recent international Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athletics Championships in Doha, where almost half the field failed to complete the women’s marathon because of sweltering heat and humidity even though that the men’s races both started at midnight.
“The Olympic Games are the platform where athletes can give ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ performances, and these measures ensure they have the conditions to give their best,” Bach said.
“I would like to thank World Athletics [the IAAF], and we look forward to working with them on the implementation.
On August 2, which marked one-year to go until the women’s Olympic marathon was due to take place, the temperature at the start time of 6am was 30 degrees with humidity at 70 per cent.
The decision to move the events has been supported by IAAF President Sebastian Coe.
“We have been working closely with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 on the potential weather conditions at next year’s Olympic Games and will continue to work with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 on the proposal to move the road events to Sapporo,” he said.
The women’s marathon is due to take place on August 2 and the men’s on August 9, the last day of the Olympics.
The men’s 20 kilometres race walk is due to be the first gold medal awarded on the athletics programme with that scheduled for July 31.
it is then due to be followed by the women’s 20km race walk on August 7 and the men’s 50km race the following day.
“Giving athletes the best platform for their performances within the environment they are in is central to all major events, and we will work with the organisers to create the very best marathon and race walk courses for next year’s Olympic Games,” Coe said.
-insidethegames
Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD had targeted their Group F opener as their best chance to get a win on the board at the Club World Cup, with Brazil’s Fluminense and German side Borussia Dortmund expected to advance from Group F.
South Africa’s Sundowns took all three points with a 1-0 win over the South Koreans and went top of the group after Fluminense drew 0-0 with Dortmund.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
African and Asian teams are not expected to make much of an impact at the new-look 32-team Club World Cup so points are like gold dust for the likes of the Sundowns and Ulsan.
KEY QUOTES
Miguel Cardoso, Mamelodi Sundowns coach: “We prepared tactically and strategically very well, and then we found a commitment between everybody. I think it was clear we made a very wonderful first half. It was important that we could keep the pace and not stray from the game plan in the second half, so that we could score a second goal that for little details or little centimetres, we could not do.”
Kim Pan-gon, Ulsan HD head coach: “We had targeted this game to win because we understand the other two teams in the group, Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund, are favourites. Our players gave their best efforts in this game and we’re very proud of their efforts. Now we need to recover quickly for the next game.”
-Reuters
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With a year until Mexico makes history as the first three-time World Cup host, the dream of a spectacular showcase is colliding with the practical challenges of modernising the iconic Azteca Stadium for global soccer’s premier event.
Beneath the imposing silhouette of Mexico’s football cathedral – where Pele dazzled with Brazil in 1970 and Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ propelled Argentina to glory in 1986 – construction crews tackle the formidable task of bringing one of the sport’s most storied venues into the 21st century.
The stakes are magnified as the ‘Santa Ursula colossus’ will host the tournament’s opening match, a global spectacle that will focus the world’s attention on Mexico from day one.
Renovations will expand the stadium’s capacity from 87,000 to 90,000, with upgrades centred on meeting FIFA standards through new changing rooms, enhanced hospitality zones, revamped VIP areas and additional seating in spaces previously occupied by boxes and lounges.
While government officials and football administrators envisioned the project as a symbol of national pride, the renovation process has eroded trust between developers, local residents and other stakeholders.
Stadium administrators announced in February that they had secured a 2.1 billion peso ($110.19 million) credit line from local financial group Banorte – along with a controversial new name: Estadio Banorte.
FIFA regulations mean the stadium will be referred to as “Estadio Ciudad de Mexico” during the World Cup, yet the rebranding has sparked a fierce backlash from some fans, who view it as sacrificing football heritage for commercial interests.
HARSH REALITY
The backlash over the stadium’s new name represents only one facet of the mounting tensions. Box and suite holders – some with relationships spanning decades – have threatened legal action after FIFA announced it would commandeer their seats during the tournament, overriding established contracts.
One member of the Mexican Association of Box Holders has already filed a legal challenge to defend access rights.
Beyond the stadium walls, frustration runs equally deep. Residents of Santa Ursula and surrounding neighbourhoods fear that promised infrastructure improvements like pedestrian bridges and transit lines will fail to address fundamental issues including inadequate lighting, water shortages and persistent traffic congestion.
“We’re not the stadium’s backyard,” one local resident told Expansion Politica. “But we’re always treated that way.”
By contrast, Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico’s other two host cities, face fewer obstacles.
Guadalajara’s 48,000-seat stadium, opened in 2010, has already hosted major events including the 2011 Pan American Games, while Monterrey’s 53,500-capacity venue, inaugurated in 2015, needs only minor upgrades – primarily new turf and a pitch ventilation system.
“We’ll install a system to ventilate and oxygenate the pitch before replacing the grass,” said Alejandro Hutt, Monterrey’s Host City Manager. “That will be an important legacy from the World Cup and beyond.”
As construction continues, Javier Aguirre’s Mexico squad are building towards a crucial summer, with a Gold Cup title defence ahead and friendly matches against Turkey this week, followed by Japan and South Korea in September.
After failing to advance beyond the group stage at Qatar 2022 – their worst World Cup performance since 1978 – Mexican fans crave more than just a well organised tournament. They want to see Mexico break the ‘fifth-game‘ curse and reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1986, the last time they were World Cup hosts.
-Reuters
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All contenders are now known for this year’s President Federation Cup grand finale, following Saturday’s elimination of Edo Queens and Ibom Angels in the women’s semi-finals.
Multiple-winners Rivers Angels saw off the stiff challenge of Ibom Angels of Uyo 1-0 in Aba, while Nasarawa Amazons bumped Edo Queens 2-0 in Ayingba.
Cup holders Rivers Angels, who have won the competition nine times, will have their hands full against 2005 and 2019 champions Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia.
In the men’s competition, Abakaliki FC of Ebonyi are getting set to tackle Kwara United FC in the final.
Results of Semi Finals (Women)
- Rivers Angels (Rivers) 1-0 Ibom Angels (Akwa Ibom)
- Edo Queens (Edo) 0-2 Nasarawa Amazons (Nasarawa)
Results of Semi-Finals (Men)
- Abakaliki FC (Ebonyi) 0-0 Ikorodu City (Lagos) – Abakaliki FC win 5-4 on penalties
- Kwara United (Kwara) 1-0 Rangers Int’l (Enugu)
WOMEN’S FINAL
- Rivers Angels vs Nasarawa Amazons
MEN’S FINAL
- Abakaliki FC VS Kwara United
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