【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue】
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics from July 23, 2021 onward.
In Hokkaido, Sapporo will host the marathon, race walking, and football events.
These articles bring you the feelings and reactions of Hokkaido residents.
Special feature
【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue (8)】 Women’s Marathon: 15 Athletes withdraw in extreme heat despite earlier start
The Women’s Marathon was held on August 7, the third day of the Tokyo Olympic Games athletics Marathon and Race Walk events being held in Sapporo. Temperatures in Sapporo were extremely hot, with a maximum of 31.9 degrees recorded just before noon. This was the 18th consecutive day on which temperatures of at least 30 degrees were recorded. Despite the games’ Organising Committee hastily changing the start time to one hour earlier at 6 a.m., the race proved tough, with 15 of the 88 starters withdrawing before the end of the race.
Between the night of August 6th and the early hours of the 7th, a ‘tropical night’ – when the lowest temperature is at least 25 degrees – was recorded in Sapporo. At 6 a.m. when the race started, the temperature was 25.9 degrees, and a humid 79%. The Marathon and Race Walk events were moved to Sapporo to avoid the heat of Tokyo but, on this day, temperatures from the middle of the race onwards were almost identical to those in Tokyo. Humidity was lower than that of Tokyo but continued at around 70%.
As the top runner finished at around 8:30 a.m., the temperature was 29.1 degrees, with 68% humidity. Japanese competitor Honami Maeda (25, Tenmaya team), who has experience of running the summer Hokkaido Marathon, finished 33rd. “It was hotter than I expected,” she recalls.
Meanwhile, the temperature at 9:10 a.m. – when the last competitor to complete the race in 73rd place crossed the line – was over 30 degrees, and the effects of moving the race one hour ahead of schedule could be seen to some extent. Bronze medalist Molly Seidel (27) from USA appraised the decision, saying “It was hot and humid so it was the right decision to move the start forward one hour.”
Special feature
【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue (10)】Sapporo "hot races", residents show support
The Tokyo Olympics women's and men's marathons were held in Sapporo on August 7 and 8. Though both marathons unfurled under intense heat, top runners from around the world still put their hearts in...
【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue (9)】 Three Sapporo athletes contribute to Silver in Women’s Basketball
In the Women’s Basketball Final on the last day of the Tokyo Olympic Games on August 8, Japan were beaten 75-90 by USA – who were aiming for their 7th consecutive title – to take the silver medal. ...
【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue (7)】Brutal heat saps walker strength in Sapporo men's 50 km Race Walk
At the 5:30 a.m. start on August 6, the temperature was already 25 degrees Celsius. It reached 30 degrees with a 79% humidity for the end of the walk in the 9:00 a.m. time slot. It was such a bruta...
The first of the Tokyo Olympic Games Marathon and Race Walk events to be held in Sapporo began on August 5 with the Men’s 20 km Race Walk. Despite the games’ Organising Committee calling, before th...
A ‘nose grind’ is an original trick that uses the structure at the edge of the course. With a performance packed with tricks characteristic of the 12-year-old skater, Hiraki became Japan’s youngest...
We talked to Yamagami Yuichiro (37) – managing director of Yamagami Mokko, a furniture maker in the town of Tsubetsu in the Okhotsk region of eastern Hokkaido – as he reflects on what was involved ...
July 24 marks the second match in the first round of Women's Olympic Football. Right before the match, all of the Japanese and Great Britain team members took a knee to protest racism.
The Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony on July 23 featured the "Olympic Rings" wooden sculpture crafted in ring shapes designed to represent the Olympic logo. This logo was made with wood from tree...
【Tokyo Olympics, Coverage from Hokkaido Venue ① 】Watching Sapporo women's football match at home amidst COVID-19
The first round of women's football kicked off on July 21 at the Sapporo Dome. This is also the first event to be held in Hokkaido for the Summer Olympic Games. Unfortunately, COVID-19 spreading ha...