The World Athletics Championships opened Saturday in Tokyo, with Canada's Evan Dunfee and Spain's Maria Perez winning the 35km walk. Four years after the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the spotlight is once again on the National Stadium. And as in 2021, eyes will be turned to the sky, hoping for clemency. Almost wishful thinking, given the forecast for heat and humidity.
"Governments have not taken their responsibilities"
Japan experienced its hottest summer on record, according to the national meteorological agency, with an average temperature 2,36 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms. Global warming is nothing new, and sport is once again facing it, as was the case with footballers at the recent Club World Cup in the United States. It's no secret that we struggle with the heat in Tokyo., acknowledged Sebastian Coe before the start of the tests. Governments have failed to take responsibility and the world of sport will have to make unilateral decisions on this matter. »
World Championship organizers have already decided to move the start of some races forward to accommodate the situation: the 35km race walkers and marathon runners were scheduled to start at 8 a.m., but it was ultimately decided to move their start times forward by 30 minutes to avoid extreme conditions and protect the athletes. At the 2021 Games, the race walk and marathon were even relocated to Sapporo, further north, to cope with the Tokyo heat. These are marginal adjustments that necessarily call for more ambitious action to stem the flow of deaths at all levels.
Biofuels, recycling and solar cells
The organizing committee for these World Championships has implemented several initiatives to contribute to the effort. Biofuels power 100% of the temporary generators used to provide electricity to broadcasters, a first for a World Athletics Championships. All electricity purchased for the event is certified renewable, while all official vehicles supplied by World Athletics partner Honda are electric, hybrid, or fuel cell powered. another first for the World Athletics Championships ", welcomes the International Federation. A circular "Bottle to Bottle" recycling system has been put in place to collect and recycle plastic bottles in the stadium and training sites. Spectators are also encouraged to bring their own bottles and fill them at the various water filling stations installed around the stadium.
The organizing committee has partnered with a cooking oil recovery project launched in 2023 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to contribute to a sustainable aviation fuel supply chain: fuel made from used oils that, once widely used, would significantly reduce the sector's carbon emissions. Less original, but just as relevant: streetlights powered by next-generation solar cells are being installed along the path leading spectators to the stadium. Saturday, September 20, will be the perfect opportunity to highlight all these actions, as it will mark the World Championships' "Sustainability Day." Among the awareness-raising activities to be organized is plogging, a combination of jogging and litter collection. « Governments have not taken responsibility », claims Sebastian Coe, but athletics intends to take its own.
