Thursday 19 December 2019 10:36, UK
The marathon courses for next summer's Tokyo Olympics have been finalised by the Games' organisers.
The men's and women's races were moved out of Tokyo over a month ago to the northern city of Sapporo to avoid the capital's summer heat.
Both courses will start and finish in the city's Odori Park and will consist of three loops. One loop will be about the length of a half-marathon and will be run first, the other loop will be just over six miles and will be covered twice.
The women's race will be run on August.8 with the men's marathon on the following day, the final day of the Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee unilaterally moved the marathons and race walks out of Tokyo because of the summer heat, which angered Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. She fought the move, losing a chance for Tokyo to show off its colourful streets lined with shrines and temples, skyscrapers, and packed restaurants and bars.
The Paralympic marathons will remain in Tokyo and should avoid the heat since the Paralympics begin two weeks after the Olympics end and extend into the cooler month of September.
