Skip to main content

Tokyo World Championships to Leave Final Decision on Going Ahead in Heat to World Athletics



On August 25 the organizing committee of the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships determined that the final decision whether to go ahead with the competition in the event of heat, typhoon or other extreme circumstances will be in the hands of World Athletics.

Given that multiple venues will be in use simultaneously throughout the World Championships, a Venue General Manager will be in place to oversee competition venues, warm-up venues, athlete hotels, and on-site decision-making. A liaison, ceremony and control team led by the organizing committee head will operate within the National Stadium to handle important issues and communicate with World Athletics and other relevant parties.

In the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or typhoon, or in case of a serious accident or other incident, the event crisis management led by the organizing committee chairperson will make the necessary decisions and lead the on-site crisis response. The crisis management plan is still in finalization but outlines the the basic approach and protocols for responding to crises during the Championships, as well as emergency response plans laying out specific procedures to follow immediately following any incident. All planning is in line with the organizing committee's fundamental policy of "the safe operation and completion of the Championships."

Regarding the nonzero possibility of a typhoon hitting Tokyo during the Championships, Secretary General Takashi Takeichi commented, "Forecasts are made with a high degree of accuracy. If a direct hit on Tokyo is imminent, measures such as planned suspensions of public transportation will be implemented. In such circumstances we will examine the situation and respond accordingly."

With regard to contingency planning for the hot conditions that have become the norm, World Athletics has stated that it will examine whether to go ahead with competition if the heat index reaches 30˚C or higher. Rather than quickly make a decision on whether to cancel or postpone a competition in advance, plans call for the consideration of the situation on the ground at the time and for an appropriate response to be made.

Information on how to beat the heat is also being prepared for spectators, with countermeasures including cooling spots being put in place around and inside the competition venues. Athletes will be provided with measures such as drinks and ice baths in order to help them focus on their competition. Other measures are also being implemented for officials and volunteers.

Translator's note: Heat index and temperature are different, but along with high humidity daily high temperatures in Tokyo have been over 30˚C every day but two in the last month and a half, with low temperatures typically in the 25˚C range.

source article:
translated by Brett Larner

photo © 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/Photo Run, all rights reserved On Jan. 8 the Edion women's corporate team announced that Ai Hosoda , 30, will retire at the end of March this year. The Tokyo Marathon will be her last race. At Nagano Higashi H.S. Hosoda ran in the National High School Ekiden her 2nd and 3rd years. During her 3rd year at Nittai University she won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, going on to win the bronze medal in the 10000 m at the World University Games in her 4th year at Nittai. After graduating she joined the Daihatsu corporate team, debuting at the 2019 Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:29:27. 2 years later she transferred to Edion. She qualified for the Paris Olympics marathon trials at the 2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon and finished 3rd in the trials in the fall of 2023, but was later bumped down to Olympic alternate after another athlete ran a faster time. Instead of the Olympics, Hosoda ran the 2024 Ber...

Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance?  Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance.  This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere.  It was put into place in 1986.  In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made.  Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km.  When a bicycle is u...