Sports
10:19, 20-Jul-2018
Marathons, walking race at Tokyo 2020 to start in early morning to avoid heat
Updated
09:59, 23-Jul-2018
["other","Asia"]
Share
Copied
The marathons and a number of other outside sport events in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be held early in the morning to avoid heat, according to a plan approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday.
Heat has been a major concern for the Games, scheduled from July 24 to August 9, when temperatures frequently rise above 30 degrees Centigrade with high humidity during the day, posing a risk of dehydration and heatstroke.
Japan is currently in the midst of a heatwave that has seen temperatures top 40 degrees and claimed eight lives on Wednesday alone.
The women's marathon on August 2 and men's marathon on August 9 will both start at 7 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than Tokyo's initial plan, while the men's 50 kilometer walk will start at 6 a.m. on August 8, according to the approved Olympic schedule.
The schedule also showed the first event of the games, a softball match involving the Japan team, will start at 10 a.m. on July 22 in Fukushima Prefecture.
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency