The global calendar of Olympic sports may need to be “re-engineered” amid the challenges posed by climate change after athletics’ biggest stars had to contend with searing temperatures in Tokyo, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe saif.
The World Athletics Championships concluded on Sunday night, following nine days of competition during which the sport’s household names lit up Japan’s National stadium, which four years ago hosted the Olympics behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The opening days of the championships were dominated by discussion around the conditions the athletes had to contend with – particularly in the endurance events – as temperatures exceeding 30C were accompanied by stifling humidity above 90%.
In addition to the quadrennial Olympic Games and biennial World Championships, World Athletics will next year stage its inaugural Ultimate Championships in Budapest to bridge the gap between its major events and provide a definitive conclusion to the 2026 season.
But Lord Coe said events such as the marathon may need to be held separately, at a different time of the year, at such competitions to protect athletes from unsafe conditions in future.
“Yes, I do see that,” Coe told BBC Sport. “That’s not easy because you’re going even into the autumn, early winter months to cities that are still very hot.
“But I do think this is probably going to have to happen at some stage, and sooner rather than later.”
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