The marathon (running 42 kilometers and 195 meters) and the athletic walk at the Olympic Games "Tokyo 2020" will be held in Sapporo, 800 kilometers north of Tokyo, for fear of extreme heat, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced on Wednesday.
Measures to combat the heat in Japan's capital, Tokyo, including better shades and water sprinklers, have been tested in test races this summer, reports Koha Ditore. The president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, said that the health of the athletes was behind this decision.
Sapporo can be up to six degrees Celsius colder than Tokyo in the height of summer.
"Athletes' health and well-being are always our concern. The Olympic Games are a platform where athletes can give that vital performance, and these measures have been taken to ensure that the conditions are up to par to give that performance," said Bach.
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