Track and Field Fans Raise Major Facilities Concern Days Before Tokyo World Championships

Remember the chaos at last year’s Paris Olympics? The summer Games were overshadowed by subpar arrangements, leaving athletes frustrated and fans outraged. Swimmer Thomas Ceccon even revealed, “I was sleeping in a park because the Olympic Village conditions were unbearable.” It was a chaos that left the athletes in horror. And now, as the Tokyo World Championships approach, the Track and Field community hopes for a far better experience. However, a recent insider leak has cast doubts over transportation and facilities at Tokyo 2025, raising concerns that history might repeat itself.

Track and field insider David Monti took to his X handle to reveal a rather grim experience for the athletes, stating, “So, for #WorldAthleticsChamps @WATokyo25 the warm-up track is about 15 km from the stadium. Athletes will need to take a shuttle to the stadium after warming-up. At #Paris2024 the warm-up track was across the street.”

But how much of this is true? In reality, Tokyo offers multiple training, or, more accurately, warm-up facilities around the National Stadium. Yoyogi Park is just 1.7 km away, Komazawa Olympic Park sits 7.4 km from the stadium, and Ajinomoto Stadium is 17.5 km away. While some facilities are farther out, athletes do have options closer to the action, challenging the notion that everyone must travel long distances just to warm up. These are merely warm-up venues that athletes can use a day before their events to keep their bodies ready, whereas the pre-camp training facilities extend across the entire nation.

The official World Athletics website has unveiled the pre-camp training venues for participating teams, and some are shockingly far from the main competition site—up to 1,400 km away, like Kitami City in Hokkaido. Facilities include Tomioka Town Sports Center in Fukushima, JUBE Sports-Field Nakadai Athletics Stadium in Chiba, SAGA Sunrise Park in Saga, Saeki Central Hospital Stadium in Oita, and more.

Surprisingly, many of these training grounds are still located miles away from the main venue, raising questions about athlete convenience and preparation. You might wonder why any team would choose such distant facilities, but it turns out some actually prefer them. For instance, the Canadian Athletics Federation, which signed a memorandum of understanding with Gifu Prefecture, trains at the Gifu Memorial Center and Nagaragawa Stadium, and the team will remain there until the event day.

The Jamaican team is conducting its training camp in Tottori, whereas the New Zealand team is preparing for the World Championships at Juntendo University’s facilities in Chiba Prefecture. The Worlds 2025 offer a significantly wider range of training facilities compared to the last two Olympics, where athletes were limited to nearby venues. Well, considering the travelling distance, the Track and Field community is quite worried about their athletes.

Track and Field Community in all sympathy for athletes amid World Championship scare

One fan asked whether the Tokyo World Championships differ from the 2021 Olympics: “Is this different from the Olympics in 2021?” Well, quite a bit. At the Olympics, athletes stayed in the Olympic Village and trained near the official venue. This time, federations can book training venues anywhere in the country before the event.

Another fan pointed out that the Yoyogi track is much closer to the stadium: “The Yoyogi track looks to be about 2km from the stadium, not 15 km.” However, it’s worth noting that this park is primarily suited for sprinters. A social media user emphasized the differences from 2021 while remaining confident in the organizers: “Yep, different from 2021 … I am sure they will dedicated traffic lanes for the journey .. no one ever as close as Eugene WU track!”

Curious about the old setup, another fan asked: “What? What happened to the 2021 warm-up track next to the stadium?” The answer—it’s still there, and athletes will continue training on the same tracks. Last but not least, a fan sympathized with the athletes’ travel woes: “Impossible to properly warm up even if they put you on a bullet train.” 

Months ago, the organizers released the list of training facilities and asked federations to book them in advance. While some complied, others didn’t, and a few haven’t disclosed their plans. True, travel logistics might pose challenges, but most teams arrived weeks ahead of the championships. Still, what’s your take on all the buzz surrounding it?