Tokyo, IOC feuding
Tokyo city officials are in a public feud with the International Olympic Committee over IOC plans — made without consulting the city or local organizers — to move next year’s Tokyo Olympic marathons 500 miles north to Sapporo to avoid the capital’s summer heat.
The abrupt decision to shift the marathons and race walks was announced almost two weeks ago by the IOC.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is angry about it. Her allies say no change is needed and have raised questions about who will pay if the move goes through, and have not ruled out a lawsuit to recover damages.
Taro Shirato and Hiroshi Yamada, members of Koike’s political party in the metropolitan legislature, told a news conference Tuesday that moving the marathon would cost at least $310 million.
The IOC said it is making the change, thinking first of athletes’ safety from Tokyo’s blistering summer heat.
In a statement to The AP, the Tokyo city government said it wants to see “sufficient scientific evidence” to justify the switch. It also asked if any other city was considered besides Sapporo.
Don’t expect the IOC to budge. It has inspectors in Tokyo this week looking at preparations with the Olympics opening in just under nine months on July 24. Tokyo’s soaring costs are also a major issue. 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.
Tokyo said in its bid in 2013 that the Olympic would cost $7.3 billion.
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