Two prospective Tasmanian 2020 Olympians have slammed the organisers' decision to move the marathon 800 kilometres away from Tokyo.
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Milly Clark, who is in line to contest her second straight Olympic marathon, labelled the move "stupid".
And fellow Launceston athlete Jake Birtwhistle, who contested the Olympic triathlon test event in the Japanese capital two months ago, called it "ridiculous".
The International Olympic Committee announced last week that the marathon and race walking events for next year's Games would be moved north to Sapporo to provide "significantly lower temperatures for the athletes".
But Clark, who was Australia's highest placed finisher in Rio and is among the athletes to have recorded a qualifying time for 2020, felt the decision was short-sighted and would hamper the Olympic experience for those athletes.
I think it's such a stupid idea
- Rio Olympian Milly Clark
"I think it's such a stupid idea," Clark, 30, told The Examiner from an altitude training camp in Arizona.
"For the sake of 3 degrees, start the race a bit earlier. There would be no atmosphere and the rest of the team or spectators can't come and watch.
"It will be a huge dampener on the atmosphere and support around the course.
"It's such a shame. It ruins the spirit of the Olympics.
"No one goes there to run a fast time anyway in a summer marathon."
The move follows this year's athletics world championships staging the marathon at midnight to avoid the heat in Doha but Birtwhistle also felt it was disappointing.
"I think it's ridiculous," he said.
"You obviously have to take safety into account but it's the Olympic Games - they are not amateurs and everyone has known for a while that it is going to be in Japan around July-August. They have had plenty of time to prepare - and still do.
"It would be disappointing to not be in the environment of the Olympic Games. It's just going to feel like a normal race. To not have all your teammates there supporting you would be disappointing.
"The Olympic Games is known for being special and you're going to lose that by moving it."
The IOC appears determined to avoid a repeat of this month's IAAF world titles in Doha, where almost half the women's marathon field failed to finish because of sweltering heat and humidity, despite starting at midnight.
On August 2, exactly one year until the women's Olympic marathon, the temperature at the start time of 6am was 30 degrees with humidity at 70 per cent.
Birtwhistle even fears that the same decision may be made for the triathlon after concerns with humidity and water quality hampered the test event in August.
The women's race had the run leg cut from 10 to 5km after conditions exceeded the International Triathlon Union heat index scale while the para event became a duathlon due to water quality.
"We raced at 7.30am which seems stupid to me," said Birtwhistle, 24, who is among the leading Australian contenders for spots in the individual and mixed relay triathlon in Tokyo.
"Japan is the Land of the Rising Sun - the sun comes up early, so humidity is going to be high in the morning and it is better to keep it as an afternoon race when it may be the same temperature but just not as humid.
"Our race was not super hot so it went ahead with the right distances but conditions affected the women's and para events. They cannot do that next year so it raises the question of how to manage that.
"It seems to be quite a struggle to run the event where it is but I'm hoping they don't do the same for the triathlon."
Birtwhistle said the water temperature during the test event was about 28-29 degrees and if it goes over 30 organisers have to cancel the swim.
A possible solution of installing curtains in the water served to stem the flow which in turn raised the temperature and lowered the quality.
The Commonwealth Games gold and silver medallist was the highest-placed Australian (11th) at the test event and is a regular visitor to Japan for the World Triathlon Series.
"In Japan I usually race WTS in Yokohama which is an hour away and that could be the contingency plan but I'd prefer to be in Tokyo," Birtwhistle said.
"But if they are going to change the race, like they had to for the women at the test event, then I'd much rather be an hour down the road."
The IOC said concerns over the heat at Tokyo 2020 have grown after more than 50 people died in the city in July when temperatures hit 40 degrees.
"Athletes' health and well-being are always at the heart of our concerns," IOC president Thomas Bach told insidethegames.biz last week.
"The new far-reaching proposals to move the marathon and race walking events show how seriously we take such concerns."
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