Those who still remember the exciting moments of the first Olympic Games held in the Japanese capital more than five decades ago might well recount the scene of a skinny marathon runner touching the finishing line to win the gold medal and thus cementing further the claim of the start of a new era of African dominance over long distance running events in international competitions. It was four years ago in Rome that he set the pace by winning the marathon running all along in barefoot. In Tokyo he defended his title and thus became the first marathon runner in modern Olympics to win the event back to back. He was Abebe Bikila, the Ethiopian who could not afford a pair of running shoes when he competed in Rome and still could claim the highest spot.

His repeated Olympic success in Tokyo was probably the most significant moment of the 1964 Summer Olympic Games, first ever to be held in Asian continent, and many in Japan still fondly remember that. And thus marathon had gained a soft spot in the hearts of Tokyoites, who had been eagerly looking forward to another milestone something similar to that in the upcoming Olympic Games next year. However, many of them are now utterly disappointed as this landmark event of the competition has been snatched away from the Japanese capital and given to Sapporo, the main city of Japan's northern-most Hokkaido Prefecture.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the supervising body of the Olympic Games, disclosed a new plan last week to stage the marathon and race walking events in Sapporo, which is situated approximately 800 kilometers north of Tokyo, the host city of 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Sapporo is not a stranger to Olympic movement as the city hosted Winter Olympic Games in 1972 as well as few other international sporting events of significant importance, such as the 2002 World Cup Football. But for the summer Olympics the equation differs significantly. It is usually the city which is awarded the right to host Olympic Games and most of the events are held within the proximity of the host city and its outskirts. Tokyo was also getting ready for most of the Olympic events except a few, venues for which had been moved to Japan's disaster hit north-eastern region that was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. This shift of venue for some minor events was seen as a gesture of goodwill on part of Tokyo to contribute to the reconstruction efforts of the region. However, the marathon venue shift is something that the Japanese capital was not looking forward to.

The recent IOC proposal of moving Olympic marathons to the north of the country came after what the organizers witnessed in Doha, Qatar. In the recently concluded track and field world championship in Doha, starting time for marathons were shifted around midnight to ease the sufferings of runners who still had to run in 38 degrees, though without the added heat of the day-time sunshine. In Doha, 28 of 68 competitors failed to finish the women's marathon and 18 of 73 men could not complete the course.

Dates for 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have been long set. The global sporting fiesta will run for a little over two-week period between July 24 and August 9. In Tokyo summer heat reaches its pick during the period and high humidity turns the situation even worse. As an obvious sign of intensified impact of global warming, summer temperature in Tokyo is increasingly turning extreme in recent years.

Taking into account this unfavorable weather condition, IOC initially agreed to a proposal to start marathons at six in the morning, which, according to experts, would ease the heat effects on runners and make it easy for them to complete the distance. The final for men's 50 kilometer race walk, another hazardous event with possible health risk consequences, was slated for a 5:30 a.m. start. The international Olympic body, however, now thinks that moving the two events to Sapporo might turn out to be a much better option.

The decision is seen by the organizers of Tokyo games as an unforeseen blow as most of the preparations related to countering heat waves during the Olympic Games have already been finalized, including the provisions of better shade, water sprays, better access to water supplies and helping the athletes in their preparations. Moreover, most of the tickets for Olympic marathons and race walk are already sold out by now. Rearranging the tickets for the events slated earlier for Tokyo might turn out to be a new hazard for the organizers.

It's a known fact that summer temperature in Sapporo is five to six degrees centigrade cooler during the day than in Tokyo. This has eventually prompted the IOC to come to the conclusion that Sapporo would be an ideal venue for long distance running events, and the choice would also ease the risk of health hazard on athletes. However, the plan runs contrary to a key promise that Tokyo made during the successful bidding process, which is to deliver a compact game where most of the venues would be located in an area within 8-kilometer city center cluster. As a result, IOC's abrupt announcement not only disappointed Tokyo officials, they also find it unreasonable and contradictory to its own standing. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said in a statement that she was surprised by the sudden decision and there was no change in her thinking that the race should be held in the Japanese capital. She also said she would demand a full explanation from IOC.

The organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, on the other hand, sounded rather compromising. Yoshiro Mori, the president of the committee, said that Tokyo would seek more time to discuss the new plan. However, he also hinted that the Japanese capital would have to accept the IOC decision. So, it is more likely that despite strong opposition from Tokyo officials, venues for Olympic marathons and race walk might eventually move to the cooler north.

(Tokyo, October 21, 2019)