Tokyo 2020 Olympics: No higher priority than athlete safety - British Olympic Association
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Updated 13/08/2019 at 11:46 GMT
The British Olympic Association insist there is no 'higher priority' than athlete safety at the Tokyo Olympics.
Tokyo 2020
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With less than a year to go until the start of the Olympics, the Games' ability to contend with extreme heat is a key talking point, particularly after a worker at a Tokyo 2020 construction site died on Thursday, with heatstroke suspected as the cause.
A British rower was one of three individuals to be treated for apparent heat exhaustion at a Tokyo 2020 test event on Sunday.
In response, a spokesman for the BOA told Yahoo Sport:
For the British Olympic Association, we have no higher priority than the safety and health of our athletes and delegation and we are working with subject matter experts from across the elite sport landscape to ensure that the delegation are appropriately prepared for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games next summer.
Soaring temperatures have killed at least 57 people across Japan since late July, highlighting the possible health threat to athletes and fans.
While announcing the full schedule of the Paralympics, which runs from August 25 - September 6, organisers said changes were being made to accommodate the high temperatures, including starting the marathon at 6.30am local time (22:30 BST).
"As it has been discussed a lot, the heat countermeasures are something we must take into consideration. Even though it will be held at the end of August it will still be hot," said Games director Koji Murofushi.
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