Temperatures around 30 degrees and high humidity in Tokyo are creating the organizers of the World Athletics World Cup (September 13th – 21st). To protect the athletes, the competitions in walking and marathon begin earlier than planned on the first three competition days.
As the organization committee announced on Thursday, both competitions over 35 km will start on Saturday at 7.30 a.m. local time (0.30 a.m. CEST) – originally scheduled as a start time. Also at the marathon of women on Sunday and the men’s marathon on Monday, the starting shot will be given at 7.30 a.m.
The reason for the change is the unusually high temperatures for the season- they could “represent a health and security risk for the participating athletes”, according to a joint message from the World Cup organizers and the World Athletics Association. The start times of the competitions in the stadium remain unchanged.
Height humidity provides sultry
The temperatures in the Japanese capital Tokyo reached up to 33 degrees this week – and for the coming days, maximum values are predicted by 30 degrees. The high humidity and rain also ensure extremely humid conditions.
The average temperature in Japan this year was 2.36 degrees above the “default” between June and August, so it was the hottest summer since the start of the recordings in 1898, according to the Japanese weather agency JMA. It is the third summer in a row with record temperatures.
Protection of the athletes
The decision for the previous start of the competitions had been informed of the athletes as early as possible so that they can prepare and adjust for the new start time. The health and security of the athletes is a top priority, according to World Association President Sebastian Coe in the Sportschau interview.
At the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the marathon and walking competitions had been moved to Sapporo in the north of the country due to heat. At the 2019 World Cup in Doha, the marathons had started half an hour earlier due to the enormous heat at midnight and the competitions.