Tokyo 2020: Sapporo venue for marathon, race walk approved

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) have announced the dates and details of the routes to be used for the Tokyo Olympic marathon and race walk events.

Sapporo's Odori Park, used in the past as a venue for the Hokkaido Marathon, has been fixed as the venue for both the men and women's marathons and race walking events at next year's Games, the IOC said on the second day of their three-day meeting on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency.

The IOC and the Tokyo organizing committee said the women's and men's marathons will run on back-to-back days, August 8 and 9, on the final weekend of the games. Both races will start at 7 a.m.

The IOC said the competition schedules had also been revamped to facilitate the support of National Olympic Committee officials and coaches to the athletes, as Sapporo is located 800 km to the north of Tokyo.