Tokyo 2020: Women’s Olympic marathon and all race walks rescheduled

The women’s marathon and all race walks at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been rescheduled following an earlier decision to relocate them to Sapporo.

Organisers have changed the dates to assist athletes who must now travel 500 miles north of Tokyo to compete.

The women’s marathon has moved from 2 August to 8 August. The men’s marathon will still take place on the final day of the Games, as is tradition.

Events were relocated from Tokyo, where peak summer temperatures can reach 30C.

The rescheduled races will take place on four consecutive days from 6-9 August, following consultations between Tokyo 2020 organisers the International Olympic Committee and World Athletics.

Both marathons will start at 07:00 local time (22:00 GMT).

The women’s marathon at the recent World Championships in Doha saw 28 of the 68 starters withdraw, despite the race being run at midnight in a bid to negate the hot and humid conditions.

The men’s 20km race walk will take place on 6 August, and the 50km event and women’s 20km event on 7 August. – bbc.com