japan running news

In an interview with reporters on Sept. 10, Tokyo Olympic Games organizing committee chairperson Toshiaki Endo indicated that the introduction of daylight saving time and other measures to combat the expected heat at the Games are still under discussion, and that the LDP study group tasked with examining the idea will hold a session to hear dissenting opinions on Sept. 27. He indicated that in the event it proves impossible to introduce daylight saving time, it would likely be necessary to move the start times of the marathon and other events even earlier than the currently planned 7:00 a.m. Endo also announced that a bipartisan project team will meet for the first time next week to discuss ways to deal with the recent wave of power abuse scandals that have emerged across a wide range of Japanese sports authority associations.

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https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180911-00326742-nksports-soci
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http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1033994/tokyo-2020-olympics-minister-at-centre-of-cash-for-support-allegations

Top story on the news right now: suspension of 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo. pic.twitter.com/C2ddnWOZDC — Japan Running News (@JRNHeadlines) September 1, 2015
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/09/01/kiji/K20150901011046540.html

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Due to the ongoing concerns over the similarity of designer Kenjiro Sano's 2020 Tokyo Olympics official logo to that of a Belgian theater, on Sept. 1 the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee indicated that is will suspend use of the logo.  It is an extremely unusual situation for an Olympic logo to be recalled.  On the afternoon of the 1st representatives of the organizing committee and members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government held an ad hoc meeting to discuss their future course of action.  2020 Tokyo Olympics organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori, Olympic minister Toshiaki Endo, Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe, and JOC chairman Tsunekazu Takeda were expected to attend.

Since the official revealing of Sano's logo d…

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/society/news/2015/08/20/kiji/K20150820010967890.html

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Speaking about the forthcoming new plans for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium on Aug. 19, former Hakone Ekiden star turned marathon broadcast commentator Tetsuhiko Kin made several proposals for the plans in response to a request from Tokyo Olympic Committee member Toshiaki Endo, saying, "If the softball field and tennis courts are relocated, the space can be used in a more flexible way including the building of a sub-track."  With regard to when to hold the 2020 Olympic marathons, Kin advised, "A start around 6:00 a.m. when temperatures are lower is the most realistic."

http://www.nikkansports.com/general/news/1522682.html

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Despite strong demands from JAAF officials for a permanent sub-track to be included in forthcoming revised plans for the New National Stadium that will be the flagship venue of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, on Aug. 13 it was confirmed that only a temporary sub-track will be built.

On July 29 JAAF officials including chairman Hiroshi Yokokawa and executive board member Naoko Takahashivisited Olympic Games Committee executive Toshiaki Endo to confirm the status of the plans for a sub-track and stress the importance of a permanent one from a former athlete's point of view.  However, multiple government officials told them that there were no plans for a permanent sub-track, saying, "There is no land nearby [for a permanent sub-track], so there is no chance but to stick with the original plans for a temporary sub-track."

Without a permanent sub-track the new stadium will not be able…

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With just 1809 days left until the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics there are at least that many opinions floating around the Japanese media on what to do about the Olympic Stadium and other problems surrounding the Tokyo Olympics.  A sample of weekend articles:

Takahashi Calls for Permanent Sub-Track at Olympic Stadium
2000 Sydney Olympics women's marathon gold medalist and former world record holder Naoko Takahashi, a member of the JOC and JAAF executive committees as well as serving on the Tokyo Olympic Games Organizing Committee Athletes' Commission, appealed directly to the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee's Toshiaki Endoto stress the importance of having a permanent sub-track in the new stadium plans, calling the recent announcement that only a temporary sub-track would be included a "fatal" mistake as it would preempt the stadium being used for future international or national-level…

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20150801/oly15080100090001-n1.html

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After withdrawing plans for the 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games main stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo due to criticism of the plans' massive costs, the government has revealed that it is eliminating one of the plan's key features, movable electric seating, from consideration for inclusion in revised plans.  Involved sources cited a reduction in construction costs as the reason.  The retractable roof covering the field will likewise be eliminated.

It was also announced that a permanent sub-track, used for track and field athletes to prepare and warm up for their events, would also not be included, making it clear that the conventional alternative of a temporary sub-track would be the firm policy for whatever future plan is selected for the stadium.  It is thus evident that the function of the New National Stadium under forthcoming plans will be greatly reduced from previo…