Tokyo 2020 Olympics moves marathon to Sapporo as IOC issues royal decree, sparking outrage in host city
- Sweltering Tokyo weather is too hot to host the marquee event, Olympic bosses tell organisers
- ‘Who proposed this?’ asks irate Tokyo governor – ‘a majority of Tokyo residents want the marathon race to stay ... we need to take their opinions seriously’
Nothing signifies the end of an Olympic Games like the marathon. Held on the final Sunday of the Games, this marquee event is always the last one on the athletic calendar. Starting at the main stadium and ending up back there 42 kilometres later, the race through the streets offers global viewers a look back on the host city of the past 17 days one last time.
In Japan, a country with a deep and passionate running culture, the marathon is spoken of in reverential tones. More than 320,000 runners applied for 35,000 spots in the 2017 Tokyo Marathon and Japan has more women’s Olympic marathon gold medals than any other country. In 2018, Yuki Kawauchi halted the East African dominance of the Boston Marathon and became the first Japanese man to win the race in 31 years.
As demand for Olympic tickets wildly exceeds availability, the urban marathon route is the one live event all Tokyoites can actually enjoy. And while most will still be able to watch the event live, now they will have to fly up north to Sapporo to do it.
In a development that absolutely stunned the country last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that they have unilaterally decided the marathon and race walk events at next summer’s Games will be moved from sweltering Tokyo to the much more moderate climes of Sapporo on Hokkaido island.
This was certainly news to local organisers and civic officials. But according to the IOC, watching the women’s marathon at the recent World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar sealed the fate when 28 of the 68 runners withdrew because of the brutal heat despite a midnight start.
“The IOC was shocked by what we saw in Doha in very similar conditions, in terms of heat and humidity, to what’s expected in Tokyo,” said John Coates, chairman of the IOC’s coordination commission.
While it’s great news for Sapporo and horrible news for Tokyo, it could be even worse news for Japan. “So many runners nationally prepare to run and perform in Tokyo conditions, this will make it harder for a Japanese to win a medal,” said Yoshikazu Ozawa, director of the Yokohama and the Shona International marathons.
Despite the fact that Kawauchi won the Boston marathon in bitter winds and freezing rain, Ozawa says he is the exception, not the rule. “Kawauchi is special, he loves stormy and cold weather,” he said. “However he pulled out of the Marathon Grand Championships this September in Tokyo which was an Olympic qualifier, because it was too hot.”
That won’t be an issue in Hokkaido, where not only do they have the best summer weather in Japan, they have the best summer weather in all of Asia. With very little humidity and an average July temperature between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, Sapporo is a cool and comforting cocoon in a world melting away.
Most marathon runners don’t look like big beer drinkers but they may change their mind up in Sapporo where the frothy ale is ridiculously crisp and inviting. In a country renowned for its food, nowhere is it fresher and tastier than in Hokkaido.
“Who proposed this,” an irate Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike asked of the regal IOC executive members, who decided to move the marathon out of her city. “When did they propose this? These are all things I want to discuss. A majority of Tokyo residents want the marathon race and race walk to stay. We need to take their opinions seriously, and I share them.”
Among the ideas proposed from Koike was starting the race at 3am. But even in the Land of the Rising Sun, that would be a bit early. “It’s a not matter of if the Tokyo government insists, the decision has been taken,” said Coates of the IOC’s unilateral action.
The Japan Olympic Organisation Committee (JOC) was reportedly in shock as well, but dutifully fell in line when reality set in. The IOC is full of princes and princelings who have lived a life of diplomatic immunity. They deal in proclamations, not participations. “Because the IOC is stronger than the JOC, there was no discussion,” said Ozawa.
After the organisational chaos of the Rio Games in 2016, the IOC was relishing Tokyo hosting in 2020 thanks to unrivalled Japanese efficiency. But with that efficiency comes an institutional stubbornness and face-saving pride. The only way for the IOC to get around that was with a royal decree. Ironically, on the same week as the Enthronement of the new Japanese Emperor, the IOC showed the entire country who actually wears the biggest crown – at least in 2020.
