Tokyo Authorities Accept IOC Decision to Move Olympic Marathon to Northern Japan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The government of Tokyo would not work against the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move the next year's Olympic Games marathon venue from the capital to the northern Japanese city of Sapporo to avoid the summer heat, although it disagreed with it, Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike said on Friday.

"We still believe it's best for the marathon to take place in Tokyo, but after considering the importance of the success of the Olympics, though we still do not agree, we will not obstruct the decision made by the IOC, who have the authority to give the final say," Koike said, as quoted by the Kyodo News agency.

The IOC announced last month that it had planned to move the Summer Olympics marathon and the race walk to Sapporo, where the temperature during the day was 9-11 degrees Fahrenheit lower than in Tokyo. The committee also called the Tokyo authorities' proposal to host the events early in the morning inappropriate due to transportation problems and the difficulty of filming in the dark.

Tokyo will host the next summer games from July 24 to August 9, 2020. During these months, Tokyo temperatures often exceed 86 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity levels.