October 30, 2019

Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Metropolitan Assemblymembers’ Group Secretary General Oyama Tomoko on October 29 published a comment on the International Olympic Committee’s recent decision to move the marathon and race-walking events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to the northern city of Sapporo.

The JCP assemblymembers’ group has long claimed that the 2020 Summer Games should be reconsidered and rescheduled to avoid the hottest months in Tokyo so that athletes, staff, volunteers, and spectators will not be exposed to the intense summer heat.

Oyama in her comment pointed out that the IOC from the “athlete first” point of view proposed to move marathon and race-walking events to Hokkaido, which is very important. On the other hand, she criticized the IOC by saying that it is unacceptable for the organization to unilaterally urge Tokyo to consent to the change of venue which the IOC says is a decision made by its directors.

The JCP submitted to the IOC, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government its demands which include a call on the IOC Coordination Commission to consider all options available, such as rescheduling, and a call for building consensus among parties concerned in deciding on how the relocation costs should be shared, where award-giving ceremonies should be held, and other related matters.

On the previous day, the chair of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and political groups in the assembly issued their statement stating that the decision on venue change needs to be made based on an agreement reached with the host city of Tokyo, athletes, and sporting organizations.

Past related articles:
> 2020 Olympic competition schedule criticized as ‘US TV stations-first’ prioritization [April 18, 2019]
> To hold Olympics during summer in Tokyo disregards athletes’ well being [July 29, 2018]