IOC Executive Board Approves Venues for Tokyo Olympics' Marathon and Race Walking Events

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved Sapporo's Odori Park in Hokkaido as the venue for the marathon and race walking events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics during its Executive Board meeting held in Lausanne, Switzerland, on December 4.
The relocation of both events outside Tokyo had been under consideration due to concerns about heat.

The park is located in central Sapporo, spans approximately 1.5 kilometers in length, and covers an area of about 7.8 hectares. Surrounded by trees and featuring flower beds and lawns, it hosts various events and is enjoyed year-round by citizens and tourists alike.
For the marathon (men's and women's) course, it was agreed to use the Hokkaido Marathon route as a base, with the first lap consisting of a 20-kilometer loop. The course passes through bustling station-front streets lined with commercial buildings and other landmarks of Sapporo City, including Hokkaido University. The route for the second lap and beyond will be decided by mid-December following further discussions.
The women's marathon will be held on August 8, 2020, and the men's on the final day of the Games, August 9, both starting at 7:00 AM.

The racewalking events (held August 6 and 7) will utilize the north-south section of the station front street, which has sufficient sidewalk width to facilitate spectator cheering. The 20km racewalk (men and women) will consist of 20 laps of a 1km loop, while the 50km racewalk (men) will consist of 25 laps of a 2km loop.