Tokyo mulls starting Olympic marathon at 3 a.m. to counter IOC plan to move race

Tokyo, host of the 2020 Olympic Games, is considering making a proposal to start marathon and race walking events as early as 3:00 a.m. to counter an International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to move the races to Sapporo due to concerns about heat in the capital, Kyodo news agency said on Thursday.

Heat fears prompt calls to move event to cooler site

Yoshiro Mori, president of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics organizing committee, speaks to the media in Tokyo, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. (The Associated Press)

Tokyo, host of the 2020 Olympic Games, is considering making a proposal to start marathon and race walking events as early as 3:00 a.m. to counter an International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to move the races to Sapporo due to concerns about heat in the capital, Kyodo news agency said on Thursday.

The IOC this month announced a plan to move the marathon and race walking events to Sapporo, on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, a switch the Tokyo 2020 president said the city had little choice but to accept.