World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has warned that the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo will be defined as much by the weather as by the competition itself, with athletes set to confront extreme heat and humidity during the nine-day event.
With Japan having endured record-breaking high temperatures during the Northern Hemisphere summer, which have continued into September, temperatures on day one of the Championships on Saturday are expected to top 30 degrees Celsius.
These conditions have prompted widespread concern for endurance athletes competing in the marathon and race walk events, scheduled for early mornings this weekend and early next week.
Unlike the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – held in 2021 – when both events were shifted to Hokkaido island in Japan’s north to escape the capital’s oppressive summer, this year’s Championships will keep endurance events in Tokyo.
Speaking to media this week, Lord Coe advised that despite the challenging conditions, World Athletics has prepared extensively, stating “I don’t think it’s any great secret, we do have some heat challenges in Tokyo.
“But 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. That shouldn’t come as a surprise because we have been dealing with some of these challenges for a long time.”
Athlete welfare, Coe argued, is now inseparable from the broader issue of climate change, adding “these are not transient. They’re here to stay.
“Governments have not stepped up to the plate, and sport is going to have to take some unilateral judgements and decisions here. If we are committed to athlete welfare, then we should probably be openly committed to that.”
At the same time, he maintained that the Tokyo Championships have contingency plans in place, adding “we have the right people in place in Tokyo, and the right discussions taking place if we had to make any adjustments to the timetable in advance of those scheduled events because of these conditions.”
The heat is only the latest challenge confronting organisers of the Championships, which arrive four years after Tokyo hosted the delayed Olympic Games and at a time when athletics continues to push for global relevance. However, for Coe, the conditions offer a reminder of the leadership role sport must play in adapting to climate realities.
He reflected “I’ve been involved in a lot of World Championships and Olympic Games.
“What we are now seeing are conditions that will increasingly define how we think about staging major events. We can’t simply rely on old models. Athlete safety, performance, and the experience of fans have to drive decisions.”
Despite the warnings, World Athletics is emphasising its readiness, with cooling stations, hydration protocols, medical staff and emergency response systems in place.
Running from 13th to 21st September, the 2025 World Athletics Championships will be based at Tokyo’s National Stadium, rebuilt for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and 2020 Summer Paralympic Games.
World Athletics heat rules
To ensure the safety of participants, World Athletics has a heat rule which can be applied when temperatures get too high.
The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) scale is used to determine whether the heat rule should be enforced.
The WBGT measures heat stress in direct sunlight, which involves observing temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover.
For athletics events, a warning is issued when temperatures reach 25C, and severe warnings are issued when temperatures reach 28C.
Competing at temperatures of 30C and above are classed as dangerous.
To reduce the risk of heat illnesses, athletics competitions are often scheduled during cooler mornings or evenings.
Health advice suggests distance races should take place below 18C.
Images: Japan_National_Stadium_Tokyo_athletics_RuinDig_Yuki_Uchida_CC_BY_4.0
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