Defiant Koike confronts IOC over moving Olympic marathon

Tokyo is a sovereign city and should have a voice on the decision.

Japan: The land were a decision is made and then it takes an aeon to change no matter what.

The IOC is correct in having taken the decision as it's clear Koike and the JOC weren't going to do the correct thing.

carbon footprint much? all these VIP jetsetters..... WOW!!!!!!

Heck, Tokyo paid all that money through "various" channels just to get the Olympics, you'd think they'd at least have the Marathon run in Tokyo.

By the time any "working committee" gets around to making a decision here, the Olympics will be long over!

IOC is abusive and brutal.

Glad she's giving them an earful. They deserve it entirely.

With their rationale, the entirety of the games shouldn't be held in Tokyo because of temperature and humidity concerns. Hope she's gives them something along those lines too.

Bunch of corrupt, money grubbing criminals the IOC.

Koike said in the next several days she wanted a "detailed explanation ... that can be understood by the people of Tokyo."

Tokyo during summer is too hot and too humid. They aren’t safe marathon running conditions. Koike is making exaggerated statements saying she wants an explanation for the people of Tokyo. They already know is too hot and humid, no need to grandstand.

The scenes from Doha recently were embarrassing with runners collapsing, going off on stretchers and in ambulances. She is willing to risk lives and safety for the sake of Tokyo’s image. The IOC might seem brash but they are right and didn’t drag their feet in making the decision. If the IOC engaged in discussion with Koike and her members it would have been dragged to the point where it would be too late to change locations.

IOC are coming off as real amateurs here.

Riiight. Doing the correct thing is very amateurish.

As if heat in August is suddenly a new thing that could not have been anticipated by planners.

Clearly it wasn't anticipated by the JOC.

What clowns

Your criticism is misplaced. This is just the adults stepping in to correct the failures of the clowns running the show.

Athletes safety should be the priority! So far Tokyo Olympic committee have failed in their plan for showing plans for a safer marathon competition! Changing the time to 3am ( sounds stupid enough ) or having those mist throwing electronic devices installed ( as if it’s not humid enough! ) are crazy! IOC should have looked at this heat issue and plans more deeply before awarding the Olympic Games to Tokyo! Under the table dealings were done to get the games to Tokyo but look at the whole farce now...and more to come!

If the marathon was a paying event, they won’t bother arguing, otherwise it would be a pain to refund tickets. Why not moving other events. It will be the same problem for many outdoor sports.

But in the first place, rather than arguing about the marathon , why not about the timing of the Olympics?

Anyway, Tokyo was chosen and the marathon must stay in Tokyo.

Assume ypur choice guys

Lame by all involved.

moving the marathon and walking events will not cost Tokyo anything but will save it money. Hokkaido prefecture, Sapporo city and the IOC will be paying for those events. It will save Tokyo money.

As athletes are not paid appearance money at the Olympics, they are cheap to organise, if one knows his business. And Hokkaido organizes half and full marathons since forever.

actually these events will operationally be organized by JAAF and tv broadcasting is done by Ioc Media and Japanese tv.

310 million usd for what as Tokyo would not pay athletes or managers, nor tv production, nor the volunteers. Lack of exposure on tv ? They have 16 whole days to show the same touristic spots and another 14 during the paralympics.

the real cost for these events, are police, security. Operationally i do this with 15 million Usd easily

robert maes

@rocketpanda The IOC shouldn't have awarded the games to Tokyo in the first place due to heat and humidity concerns as another poster has mentioned.

Don't make them out to be concerned about anything other than lining their pockets.

If they really did care for the wellbeing of athletes they would have awarded another city the games or not have given in to American broadcasters pressure (and massive payouts no doubt) and moved the games down the calendar to better temps.

running early, providing shade for fans, and installing heat-resistant pavement.

Even with all of that. Humid heat is still humid heat and it beats all of those things.

However, the last minute changes is where the real issue is. Heat in Tokyo has been no secret over the last 10 years. Just look at the consistent news reports that have people dying from dehydration and hospitalized due to heat stroke.

Atlanta in 1996 and Athens in 2004.

I have been to Atlanta and Greece in the summer. None of them felt like Tokyo. Also, 1996 and 2004 heat is not 2020 heat. The weather has gotten hotter and more humid each year I've been in Japan.

American broadcasters pressure (and massive payouts no doubt) and moved the games down the calendar to better temps.

Again, stop trying to blame "American broadcasters" for this debacle. The IOC had pressure from FIFA, FIBA, and plenty of others. Even Japanese Baseball said they didn't want October because it would interfere with the Japan Series.

As for Koike and her grandstanding, watch as she riles herself up with righteous fury and anger, casting doubt on all the foreigners and outsiders who dare to besmirch the good name of Tokyo... never mind the scenes from Doha! Never mind that the Tokyo plans for dealing with the heat more or less boiled down to 'gamman.'

Seriously, have shops keep their doors open to blow out A/C? Fans? Supposedly heat reflective roads?

The JOC and Tokyo have hemmed and hawed the entire time about this. Lied through their teeth constantly, and basically have now pushed the IOC to the breaking point. Remember the 'small footprint?' 'Green Olympics?' Low-cost Olympics? Clean Odaiba Bay?

It's all a farce, and Koike's just trying to cast herself as the heroine in order to pass the buck enough to avoid having to take too much of a bite of the s-sandwich that this has become.

I admire Koike for having a backbone, but I'm affraid she is fighting the wrong battle. Her opponents have got form fending off scandals after scandals and litigating as a mean to achieve their goals.

Unless her ego is bigger than these guys' egos, she wouldn't stand a chance. IMHO, she should be fighting on the financial front, where they can't fightback (can't bite the hands that feed them). Get some allies who are sponsors, start tallying the costs of their flip flop decisions and lack of consultation, monopolise resources, and make sure it's all in writing and have it published in the media immediately.

BTW, I'm not taking side here, I'm just saying the IOC can't just nod and clap whilst Tokyo spend vast sums of money on preparation only to pi$$ it all up a wall less than a year out. That's just bad form at any level.

"I see this very much as using that political working group to set the framework as to how we implement these changes in a way that is acceptable to everyone," Coates said.

Someone let the governor know that the purpose of the meeting is how to implement the change and not undo a change that's been made. Move forward.

August is the month with the most number of typhoons per meteorological records that go back to 1952. Moving to Sapporo will alleviate the risks. If the marathon happens on a day near the typhoon the temperatures will be cooler.

https://japantoday.com/category/sports/update1-baseball-softbank-hawks-to-change-name-of-stadium-to-paypay-dome

And Sapporo isn't? Hilarious watching common sense make a dive through the window. Incredible!!

The person least at fault in all of this is Koike!

She was not Tokyo Governor when the Tokyo bid was submitted, reviewed and voted on. She came into office in 2016 with the Tokyo Olympics already a done deal. So, it was her job to work with Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee, the Japan Olympics Committee, the national government and the IOC to make the necessary preparations.

The Olympics began with the marathon. Indeed, the marathon is the culminating event, with the finish of the marathon in the Olympic Stadium on the last day of the Olympics. It is the hallmark event of the Olympics, even if it has been overshadowed by other events in recent years.

To take the marathon out of Tokyo but to still call this the Tokyo Olympics is an utter farce. Just rename it the Japan Olympics.

And I would suggest that all of those IOC officials making these decisions be forced to stay in Sapporo for the Olympics. And "enjoy" the Olympics there. But, no, they want to have their cake and eat it too. They will luxuriate in their 5 star hotels, enjoy the best restaurants in Tokyo, have the best seats to all of the events, be whisked to and from the events in black limos on "private" expressways.

And, the most appalling aspect of all of this is that they, more than anyone else, KNEW of the challenges of running a marathon in a hot, humid city in the summer!!! They had the experience of 1996, when they changed the start time of the marathon in Atlanta to 7 a.m. local time because of concerns about the heat!! If they had really cared, they would have imposed a requirement on the Tokyo bid at the very beginning!!

But, no, they just looked forward to the wining and dining of the Tokyo Committee. And the brown envelopes that came along with it!! NOW they are in CYA mode and if Tokyo has to get the short end of the stick, then so be it. Because, in the end, the Olympics is really all about the needs and wants of the IOC officials. The athletes and fans are just props to be used.

A while ago it was reported that:

*In the city's bidding document to win the Games, Tokyo said the competition period between July 24 and Aug 9, followed by Paralympic Games, *"provides an ideal climate for athletes to perform at their best" with "many days of mild and sunny weather."

So now, after false pretenses, fraud essentially, Koike is obstinate and reckless to milk political capital out of what was a sham in the first place.

Unless her ego is bigger than these guys' egos, she wouldn't stand a chance. IMHO, she should be fighting on the financial front, where they can't fightback (can't bite the hands that feed them). Get some allies who are sponsors, start tallying the costs of their flip flop decisions and lack of consultation, monopolise resources, and make sure it's all in writing and have it published in the media immediately.

Koike and the JOC will never, ever do that. Why?

Because their claims of the cost of moving the marathon are total bunk. They're claiming that moving the Olympic marathon will cost $310 million. Meanwhile, the cost of running a marathon like the NYC or Boston marathon is roughly $50 million. Both of these marathons, by the way, have thousands of runners a year, not the roughly 150 runners in the Olympic marathon.

Now, even if you double the costs ($50 for Tokyo, $50 for Sapporo), that's $100 million dollars. So where does the other $200 million come from? There were no special tracks built, no buildings erected. The volunteers are... well, volunteers. TV cameras and more will be paid by the networks that are sending teams to cover the races.

So where's that extra $200 million coming from? Simple. Either it's a figure totally made up by some bureaucrat who padded every single estimate from adding in the total cost of these 'special roads' that Koike's talking about (even if they haven't been built yet), maintenance costs, and probably a healthy dose of 'lost advertising revenue'... or it's just a bunch of money that's already been passed around in the brown envelope parade, an even that Japan should get the undisputed gold medal in.

Folks, as we all know the timing for 2020 IS just simply WRONG, but the IOC JOC TOCOG, & Tokyo & Jpn Govts ALL STILL WENT FOR IT!!

The IOC are money grubby   %$%^^ they don't care about athletes, BUT they do care as I said before about the world SEEING athletes die on LIVE TV!

After Doha the IOC went into a panic fearing THEIR gig would be up with 2020 going ahead as is.

Then they commit one of the GREATEST MISTAKES when dealing with Japan & that is LOSING FACE, & BOY oh BOY did Tokyo lose face BIG time!

The 2020 timing is beyond idiotic for all outdoor sports not just the two in question.

NO ONE is right in this new fiasco, its just an awful mess & the IOC is in the process of a major cultural mistake by NOT keeping Tokyo govt in the loop. I know WHY they didn't, BUT that is not the point.

I kinda hope Koike keeps this going a little longer, the IOC are an arrogant bunch!

Enjoy the fireworks while they last!

I kinda hope Koike keeps this going a little longer, the IOC are an arrogant bunch!

Sure, let her keep going. The IOC has the trump card in all of this, athlete safety. They know it, and they can play it again, and again, and again. The more Koike and the Tokyo government stomps their feet, sucks their teeth, and complains about this, the more they look like heartless, arrogant, self centered people who are willing to risk an athlete dying just to have their TV spot.

Ms. Koike can be as defiant as she likes, but the decision has already been made. It should be no surprise that a Japanese politician is protesting a decision made on common sense.

frankly who want to run in humid and hot place.

I know that koike chan does not run, but please think about the athlete condition.

Sport does not count, seems to be a only an event pay with my tax to make a focus on Tokyo city .

The Olympics is losing its appeal and fewer cities are interested in hosting the Games. The future doesn't look bright for the IOC.

Koike said that Tokyo will not fund the move or the event in Hokkaido. No money, so it won't happen?

If there's one category of sports that epitomizes the Olympics, it's the marathon.

And it's not as if Sapporo doesn't get hot in summer. I wonder what would happen if, on the days

of the marathon races, Sapporo experiences a heatwave, and Tokyo is actually a lot cooler.

The question is, why were these and other concerns not raised BEFORE Tokyo got the Olympics? Did Tokyo never have hot summers before the bid?

Follow the money!!!

Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike has the IOC by the short and curlies, the didgeridoo-das, I am referring to the 35 million people/voters whose spending power, living in greater Tokyo makes a significant political difference.

Even if the competitors melt and are scraped off the street, (unlikely), the 35 million want to scream and shout, ,they have paid for the privilege.

The IOC haven't by any stretch of the imagination the influence, this statement says it all.

"This was a decision that was taken quickly," Coates acknowledged. "It was a decision that was taken as a consequence of what we saw in Doha."

Is Coates about to fold a loosing hand?

Tokyo said in its bid in 2013 that the Olympics would cost $7.3 billion.

A government audit report last year said Tokyo was spending about $25 billion to organize the Olympics, all of which is public money except for $5.6 billion from a privately financed operating budget.

So that's $19.4 billion taken out of the public purse and stuffed into the pockets of private corporations. And people say the IOC are corrupt....

To be fair to Ms.Koike, she inherited a pig in a poke from the previous Tokyo governor, the corrupt chiseler Masuzoe. The only reason Tokyo won the Olympics at all was the massive PR campaign to boost popular support among Tokyo residents, which lagged below the level deemed acceptable by the IOC. As we now know the whole campaign was based on lies, corruption, bribery and fraud.

When robbing the public purse and nationalism are the two driving forces behind an event, this is what happens.

On Tuesday, political allies of Koike in the municipal legislature told a news conference that moving the marathon would cost at least $34 billion yen (about $310 million). Maybe more.

Yet more fantasy numbers. What a grotesque shambles this is turning out to be....

@David Varnes

You'll have a chance to dispute their figures when it comes out. For now I agree it's all speculation, though comparing private marathons to an olympic event is akin to having airbrakes on turtle, useless. The entire structure of the two events are different, one is organised the other is hosted.

All the same, are you implying then that the IOC won't dispute Tokyo reimbursement costs because it will be low?

The more Koike and the Tokyo government stomps their feet, sucks their teeth, and complains about this, the more they look like heartless, arrogant, self centered people who are willing to risk an athlete dying just to have their TV spot.

A bit biased there...The IOC has had 5 years to care about athletes, during that time, inspecting praising Tokyo's efforts, watching money pi$$ed up a wall and said nothing, only to flip flop less than a year out about their 'concerns for athletes'.

2024 Olympics is Paris, France and 2028 Olympics is Los Angeles, US. These cities will be too hot over summer for marathon and walk race. IOC would change the very hot route location to another cities suddenly again.

All the same, are you implying then that the IOC won't dispute Tokyo reimbursement costs because it will be low?

I fully expect them to, if privately if not publicly. Frankly, if I were the IOC I'd drag the JOC and Tokyo over the coals for constant lying, including, of course, the costs.

In the end though, the simple question that Koike can never answer is this: How much is a dead athlete worth? Because right now, that's what Koike is willing to pay for Tokyo to have the Olympic marathon.

Sure, let her keep going. The IOC has the trump card in all of this, athlete safety. They know it, and they can play it again, and again, and again

D.Varnes,

Nope, incorrect the IOC does NOT care about athletes, IF they did the dates would be in the FALL here! PERIOD!

What they CARE about is $$$ & not I repeat NOT having athletes DIE ON LIVE TV...….THAT is their only worry

There are just PRETENDING to care......seems they still don't give a rats for triathalons, sailing, field sports etc etc ……… for now anyway!

@GW

What do you base your opinion on?

The IOC’s reason for the move to Sapporo has to be based on the fact that Tokyo is just too dangerous a place for athletes in the summer.

Tokyo is no place for such a sporting event..

"Our overall cost has become a humongous amount, so it would cause us pain if the cost is added to our bill," Mori said. "So I mentioned that to Mr Coates, and he said he will look into it. We won't be able to pay if it's a significant damage to our finances. I have reminded him of that." …......

No Coates must resign if necessary, he has little no mandate.

Other that a belief in his own self importance. To pretend that heat exhaustion is an issue, when assigning the Olympic games to Tokyo is just hobbledy-nonsense. Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike must dig those stilettos in right up to Coates eyeballs.

"...We won't be able to pay if it's a significant damage to our finances. I have reminded him of that."

Actually, Koike and them should be pretty happy about this. They are already 400% above budget and still going like a freight train, so now they can blame that entire amount beyond the money they promised in bidding on this move. I mean, they certainly don't care one wit about the people dying in the heat -- which will happen (I notice they went above and beyond in talking about the temperature difference early morning between Sapporo and Tokyo, but failed to mention the 90%+ humidity rate in Tokyo).

Anyway, as said, the IOC should just look Koike squarely in the face and remind her that, should the host city not fully disclose certain elements, such as weather, costs, etc., the IOC has the right to move the location, hinting to her that it could still do so for the ENTIRE Games, and legally no lawsuit would matter.

What do you base your opinion on?

Kurisupis,

Simple, the IOC & all other parties KNEW  about Tokyo summers! And yet they all agreed to hold them in Tokyo July & Aug, stupid beyond belief!

As for the IOC caring for athletes..... they don't they only care about the BRAND...…...the Olympics!

The TV images of Doha SCARED THE CRAP out of the IOC, yeah sure athletes for two events MIGHT have a better environment, what about the rest!!!!

The IOC is only protecting THEIR BRAND & themselves!

I am sure this has been mentioned in the past but this kind of problem could have been easily solved by hosting the Olympics in October when the temperatures would have been great for the athletes and the massive crowds watching them. Sorry to bring up the obvious failure on the Olympic committee when they chose the dates. I do not remember, but was Koike san upset about the date the Olympics would start?

Smithinjapan, it is lite at 400%, the final tally could be close too, well best be seated. frankly lets not go there.

The competitors have a choice, there will be unprecedented medical support, a potential 35 million residents cheering them on. Accept the challenge that is what the Olympic motto is all about. If a few die trying well they will be heroes.

The vote has been cast and decision has been made. Ms. Koike’s defiant protest is falling on deaf ears.

Sorry that last sentence is my dark sense of humour, my Kono moment of madness. taken back

why were these and other concerns not raised BEFORE Tokyo got the Olympics?

It's political. They're getting back at her for being difficult and not obeying them when she first became governor.

.

It's a powerstruggle.

IOC is correct - however- they did not work consultatively.

Koike needs to shed the ego.

.

The Political Circus is now officially open...

I think it would be awesome to have the marathon in Hokkaido. Lived in Hakodate for a Summer and loved it there. Sapporo is a veritable small town compared to Tokyo. There is a lot more to Japan than Kanto and Kansai areas.

The difference between Tokyo and Sapporo weather in summer is not so great, so Marathon should be in Tokyo.

Tokyo : high humidity, heat island effect, start/finish of event too early (or too late) for most countries if 5 AM start, occurrence rate for typhoons very high, old or unacustomed spectators.

Please compare just the average hourly temperature graphs (add Atlanta and Athens if you need, and that is only about temperature !) :

https://weatherspark.com/y/143809/Average-Weather-in-Tokyo-Japan-Year-Round

https://weatherspark.com/y/144135/Average-Weather-in-Sapporo-Japan-Year-Round

IOC was wrong. Japan was wrong.

One wants to remain in the wrong while the other wants to correct the situation.

Only fools never change their minds.

But it's a Woman's Prerogative to Change Her Mind ! (Etiquette should apply at that level ;)

For your information, I am a marathon runner and experienced in running in high heat in Japan (9 or 10 AM) in summer.

Yuriko Koike is the same person who began the ridiculous, energy-sapping, sweat-inducing custom of keeping indoor temperatures at 28 degrees C, which has since spread beyond government and into basically all of society, with the corporations saving massive amounts in energy bills while we the public suffer.

And now she wants people to run a marathon in air hotter than that?

She supposedly spent a few years in the Middle East in her youth. Is she just wanting to flex about her tolerance for heat levels?

if I were the IOC I'd drag the JOC and Tokyo over the coals for constant lying, including, of course, the costs.

You're speculating and accusing people of lying based on your own speculation, bad sport.

In the end though, the simple question that Koike can never answer is this: How much is a dead athlete worth? Because right now, that's what Koike is willing to pay for Tokyo to have the Olympic marathon.

No again speculating, on multiple fronts, and generating hyperboles.

Athletes competes all over the world, in dangerous sports, and they make their own decision. The organisers are responsible for making the event as safe and entertaining as possible, which Tokyo has done with their preparations (and with IOC commendation up to two weeks ago).

The issue at hand is the viability of shifting the event to Sapporo and the costs involved. We are talking about additional costs of health, insurance, accomodation, travel, security, decommissioning and restoration, etc., for thousands of people and tonnes and tonnes of equipment.

Let Tokyo table the costs first, then dispute it. Going by all the other Olympic cost overrun, it wouldn't surprise me if the $300 million is actually conservative.

As arrogant as the IOC is it is also satisfying to see the JOC get egg on its face for three reasons,firstly the ‘gift giving’ to the Africans,secondly,after Abe blatantly lied and said ‘Fukushima is under control’ and finally for falling stating that ‘Tokyo’s weather in August was ideal for outdoor sports.’

Look at the photo and ask your self why

Japan produced the best Rugby World Cup in a century

Japan delivered with bells and whistles? Yes it I time to call in the shots.

hHve the nuts to walk away and watch what happened next

No finance, no games, it is a simple as that. Walk away, if necessary, dump in dimwit Coates lap.

Doha marathon sure put the fright into the IOC

They don't want to be embarrassed when primetime comes next year

Enough, the IOC is an irrelevance pure and simple if necessary walk away and this will be the last games no country in there right mind would ever commit the finance. It is time to call the IOC bluff

You're speculating and accusing people of lying based on your own speculation, bad sport.

No, I'm going off of an Olympic proposal by the JOB to spend approximately $7.5 billion that has now ballooned to over $25 billion. I'm going off an Olympic proposal that said most events would be within a small footprint... and even before this ended up being flung all over the place.

So what I'm accusing the JOC of is flat out lying, because they have a history of it. I'm also going off the fact that numerous other cities hold marathons with a hundred times the number of runners, yet spend 1/6 what Tokyo is claiming it would cost to move these events to Sapporo. Until they actually present a breakdown of figures that can be verified by outside sources, I'll continue to call that figure a lie.

The issue at hand is the viability of shifting the event to Sapporo and the costs involved. We are talking about additional costs of health, insurance, accomodation, travel, security, decommissioning and restoration, etc., for thousands of people and tonnes and tonnes of equipment.

What additional costs for health? Or insurance? It'd be zero additional cost or even a savings since costs are lower in Sapporo than Tokyo.

Travel? Paid for by the individual nations.

Security? Again, zero sum game. Any paid for, non-volunteer security money spent for the marathon in Tokyo can be shifted to Hokkaido.

Decommissioning and restoration? Now you're just reaching. It's a marathon course, not a nuclear power plant. And if Tokyo wants to spend money to beautify places in town, that's not part of the costs of the marathon.

And the concept of 'thousands of people and tonnes and tonnes of equipment,' is again something that has nothing to do with Tokyo. The marathon and the racewalk are not equipment heavy-events. You need a couple of roads. 99% can be sourced locally and aren't exactly expensive. Big display clocks? Sapporo will have them because of the Sapporo marathon and other similar events. In fact, all the equipment is already available in Sapporo because they host an annual marathon, all it needs is some panels/stickers to rebrand it for the Olympics.

Thousands of people? You don't need thousands of paid workers to run a marathon. Most of the work can be done prior to the athletes even arriving by the IAAF, as they're responsible for the entries, etc. Along the marathon route, you have volunteers which cost nothing and the Olympics is already having them foot their own bills anyway.

So again, if New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and other cities can host a marathon for 1/6 the cost, and with nearly 10 months to do all the planning and organizing... where does Koike get this bunk $310 million from?

Agree or disagree, like or dislike Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike,

Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike is carrying out her mandate for 35 million voters.

Who has committed billions right through the hooter for this, some would contend three week sporting fiasco?

It is time for a reality check, these pompous inflated bureaucrats have to be removed and put in there place. The IOC, FIFA are well past there sell by date.

"We consider it an unprecedented turn of events for the IOC to make such an abrupt proposal with no consultation or discussion whatsoever with the host city Tokyo," Koike said.

Totally agree. Who do these IOC fatcats think they are, that they can simply tell a city to use its taxpayer money for their project??

Here in Kushiro Hokkaido weather is always cool in summer.

The Olympics: a pseudo-religion, bedazzling the masses, benefiting the few. The arrogant and greedy on all sides deserve each other.

Just make an artificial island and make it international olympic land. Have olympics here all the time.

@Jonathan Prin

In full agreement with your analysis!

As Most airlines are not part of the govt, I see them making out on double charges:

attendant: "no, your ticket is to Tokyo."

Customer: "location was changed to sapporo."

Attendant: "you bought your ticket to Tokyo, not Olympics 2020 city. Take it up with them"

(Hand off back and forth...customer never reimbursed)

Tokyo proposed to hold Olympic in Oct same with 1964 Tokyo Olympic. But IOC designated Aug for $1.2 Trillion from US broadcasting company. Where is 'athlete first'? IOC must be rich enough to pay moving cost.

Heck, Tokyo paid all that money through "various" channels just to get the Olympics, you'd think they'd at least have the Marathon run in Tokyo.

Money? wake up! Its not about MONEY!

The difference between Tokyo and Sapporo weather in summer is not so great, so Marathon should be in Tokyo.

you have never obviously spent a few days in both places in summer! and its not just the heat, the humidity is lower too!