Skip to main content

Tokyo Delivers Its Bid For a Compact Olympics

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/090213/oth0902131857018-n1.htm

translated by Brett Larner

On Feb. 13 the 2016 Tokyo Olympics Bid Committee submitted its plan for "the most compact arrangement of facilities in Olympic history," an Olympics designed "from the athletes' point of view." The planned marathon course includes both the 1964 and 2016 Olympic stadiums, a route designed "to encompass the full sweep of [Tokyo's Olympic] history."

The new Olympic stadium, desgined to hold 100,000 spectators with a permanent seating capacity of 80,000, will be built in Tokyo's Harumi district in Chuo Ward and is intended to be the heart of Tokyo's facilities. With the exception of shooting events and soccer, all other competitions are planned to take place within an 8 km radius of the new Olympic stadium. Of the 34 proposed sites, 23 will make use of already-existing venues.

The marathon course in particular captures the spirit of Tokyo's Olympic bid. The proposed course begins at Tokyo's 1964 Olympic Stadium, travelling to the Imperial Palace where athletes will run three loops of a 10 km circuit through Akihabara and Ginza before finishing at the new Olympic Stadium in Harumi, spanning the distance from the old to the new Tokyo Olympics. Making use of part of the course for Asia's largest marathon, the Tokyo Marathon, the proposed Olympic marathon route will run through many of the Tokyo's most popular tourist sites in the heart of the city.

Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) president Tsunekazu Takeda stated, "With 95% of the venues located within an 8 km radius our arrangements are compact and efficient. We will listen to the critiques from every international federation and make whatever improvements necessary to give the athletes the best experience possible."

Comments

TokyoRacer said…
I have two negative reactions. First, a three-loop course means that only one-third as many people will be able to see the runners. You know that for an Olympic marathon in Tokyo, the entire 42 kms would be packed. Those streets on the loop are going to be like a commuter train at rush hour. Dangerous to your health!
However, this is a moot point, because there is NO WAY the IOC is going to choose an Asian city just 8 years after Beijing. It just will not happen. Mayor Ishihara is wasting our money in order to raise his own profile. Even if (when) Tokyo loses, he can say, "Well, people of Tokyo, I did my best for you." Yeah, with our money.
Brett Larner said…
Bob--
I read somewhere that the IAAF (?) is trying to encourage this type of course for championship races. Berlin will use a loop course for the World Champs this summer, and Helsinki did it in 2005.

I agree with you about the Tokyo bid being too soon after Beijing, though; for the same reason Madrid may suffer for being right after London.

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...

Nomura and Odagiri Go 3-4 at Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km

2010 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/21/10 Women click here for complete women's results 1. Genet Getaneh (Ethiopia) - 47:53 2. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) - 48:07 3. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 49:43 4. Aki Odagiri (Meijo Univ.) - 51:37 5. Benita Willis (Australia) - 51:51 Men click here for complete men's results 1. Leonard Patrick Komon (Kenya) - 41:13 - WR 2. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia) - 42:01 3. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopia) - 42:01 4. Abraham Kiplimo (Uganda) - 43:03 5. Berhanu Delale (Ethiopia) - 43:08 ----- 14. Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 45:31