Governor attends a four-party meeting to discuss the Tokyo 2020 Games

On Friday, November 1, representatives of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), and central government gathered to hold a four-party meeting to discuss the venue location of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon and race walk events.
John Coates, Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission Chairman, explained that four matters were resolved at the technical working group meeting attended by all four parties the previous day. The four matters on which agreements were reached are as follows.

1. The authority to change venues lies with the IOC.
2. The TMG will not bear any new expenses generated when the venue for the marathon and race walk events is moved to Sapporo.
3. Any costs related to the marathon and race walk events already paid out by the TMG and Organising Committee that upon examination and verification cannot be used by the TMG for other purposes will not be shouldered by the TMG.
4. No venue changes will be made for any other sports.

When asked her opinion on the matter, Governor Koike responded, “We still think it would be best to hold the events in Tokyo. Although we cannot support this decision, as the host city, we believe that building a framework for the success of the Games is crucial. Therefore, we have decided not to stand in the way of the decision made by the IOC.”
The governor also added that she received a proposal from IOC President Bach to hold an “Olympic celebration marathon” sometime after the Tokyo 2020 Games, which would use the course originally approved for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon.
Koike went on to say that Tokyo would work with the IOC to study the idea in more detail, and that she hoped to create an opportunity that would fulfill the wishes of Tokyo citizens who had looked forward to the marathon.
The governor concluded, raising an important issue, “As climate change and global warming continue to advance, if holding the Olympic Games in July and August continues to be a prerequisite, I expect conditions will be harsh throughout the northern hemisphere in the future. If the IOC wants to continue to cite ‘athletes first,’ then it needs to thoroughly consider how the Games are scheduled from this perspective.”