Coe more worried by heat at Tokyo Olympics than Doha worlds

AFP, Zurich :
IAAF President Sebastian Coe says he is more worried about the potentially searing heat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics than the world championships in Doha, which begin next month in a temperature-controlled stadium.
All previous nine world championships held this century have begun in August, but the edition in the Qatari capital has been moved to September 27-October 6 because of concerns over the desert state’s weather.
Marathons and race walks will even be held at midnight and traditional morning sessions have been scrapped.
Temperatures in Doha for the biennial track and field showpiece, being held for the first time in the Middle East, could easily hit 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) with accompanying high humidity.
But Qatari officials have turned to technology, installing cooling systems at the expensively refurbished Khalifa International Stadium to guarantee ambient trackside temperatures for athletes and even spectators.
Fears over intense heat and humidity in the Tokyo summer, however, have crystallised at several Olympic test events in recent weeks, with some competitors and spectators taken ill and other events curtailed.
Tokyo Games organisers have also moved up the starting times for some sports, including the marathon, over fears for athletes’ wellbeing.