Last Updated:September 09, 2025, 17:50 IST
Sebastian Coe warns of heat challenges at Tokyo world championships after Japan’s hottest summer, urging athlete welfare and criticizing governments for inaction on global warming.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe (AP)
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe acknowledged on Tuesday that the upcoming world championships in Tokyo will face “heat challenges,” following Japan’s hottest summer on record.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that the average temperature from June to August was 2.36C above the standard value, marking the highest since records began in 1898. This was the third consecutive summer of record high temperatures.
What About World Athletics Championships?
The world championships are set to begin in Tokyo on Saturday, four years after the pandemic-delayed 2021 Olympics were held in the city. Coe informed reporters that temperatures, which remained as high as 33C on Tuesday, would pose a challenge for the athletes.
“I don’t think it’s any great secret, we do have some heat challenges in Tokyo,” he said.
“We had them actually at the time of the Games in 2021,” he added.
During the 2021 Olympics, marathon and race walk events were moved to the cooler northern city of Sapporo due to heat concerns. However, both events will remain in Tokyo for the world championships. Following a World Athletics Council meeting, Coe stated that the sport’s leaders are discussing the ongoing risks of global warming.
“These are not transient, they’re here to stay,” he said.
Coe criticised governments for not taking sufficient action and emphasised that the sporting community might have to make independent decisions regarding athlete welfare. “Governments have not stepped up to the plate and sport is going to have to take some unilateral judgments and decisions here.
“And we have reflected in the past, if we are committed to athlete welfare, then we should probably be openly committed to that,” he added.
He expressed confidence that World Athletics is well-prepared to address the challenges of global warming, claiming, “I’m very proud to be able to say with full justification that we have the most accomplished and the most capable health and science team in any international sport, and frankly any sporting organisation”.
(With inputs from AFP)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
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September 09, 2025, 17:49 IST
News sports World Athletics Boss Reacts To ‘Heat Challenges’ Following Japan’s Hottest Summer On RecordDisclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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