TOKYO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and organizers of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo decided Thursday to move the marathons and race walking events to Sapporo to escape the extreme summer heat of Tokyo.
The IOC said Wednesday it plans to move the endurance events to Sapporo on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Yoshiro Mori, chief of the Tokyo organizing committee, said in a press conference Thursday that organizers have accepted the idea.
"It's unavoidable from the standpoint of considering countermeasures against the heat. It is obvious we need to accept it," Mori said.
"The organizing committee, together with the special IOC working group, is working hard to address these issues and how we put the interests of the athletes first," IOC President Thomas Bach said in Doha.
Although it was a "proposal" by the IOC, Mori told reporters that both parties have been positive about the idea.
IOC representative John Coates on Wednesday apologized to the 2020 Games organizers for the abrupt move but said it was necessary to avoid Tokyo's summer heat. "For Tokyo 2020, it came as a bit of surprise and I understand that. But the problem is that you can't leave this up in the air," Coates said.
The women's marathon is slated for August 2 and the men's one week later. The start times had been moved to 6am local time in order to avoid the extreme heat and humidity in Tokyo, which has been an ongoing issue for Olympics organizers.
Coates said the IOC is not considering moving the dates of the events, but changing the starting times is a possibility.
