TOKYO (AP) — The IOC moved the Tokyo Olympic marathons and race walks out of the Japanese capital to avoid the stifling heat and humidity.
Now some swimmers and an 11,000-member coaching body are asking that something similar should be done with the open-water swimming venue in Tokyo Bay.
Known as the “Odaiba Marine Park,” the water temperatures there were near danger levels in test events this summer for open-water swimming and triathlon. E. coli levels also plague the urban venue, and athletes have complained about the odors coming from the small inlet.
“Here’s the reality,” Catherine Kase, who coaches open water for the United States Olympic team, said in an email to the Associated Press.