Kathmandu, August 1. The Northern region of Japan, Hokkaido was supposed to have cooler temperatures for next week’s Olympic marathon and walks. But the temperatures have been soaring high.

The temperature was recorded at 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) at Hokkaido’s Sapporo last week. The temperatures are forecasted to hover between maximums of 31 and 34 degrees over the next week, when the race walks and marathons will take place.

The men’s 20-kilometre race walk takes place in the region on Thursday, followed by the women’s race and the marathons for men and women over the next few days.

The organizers have defended their heat measures. Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto admitted saying, “this is something we need to be vigilant about.”

Tennis matches have been pushed back until later in the day after multiple complaints by players. Organisers moved the two events from Tokyo in 2019, worried that even shifting the start times to dawn would not be enough to keep athletes safe from the heat.

The International Olympic Committee said that the summer temperatures in Hokkaido’s Sapporo were expected to be kinder- around five or six degrees Celsius cooler than Tokyo. But the temperatures have been increasing causing heatwaves. Counter-measures have been drawn up that include misting stations and ice jackets.