DOHA, Qatar: World Athletics Championships organisers delayed the start time of the women’s 20km race walk on Sunday as Doha’s heat and humidity again triggered concerns for athlete safety.
A day after dozens of exhausted runners failed to finish the women’s marathon, officials said the women’s 20km scheduled to start at 11.30pm (2030 GMT) on Sunday would now get under way at 11.59pm instead.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said in a statement the move had been made in “consideration of the predicted weather conditions for the scheduled start.”
“The IAAF Medical Delegate analysed all available information on the likely temperatures and humidity and recommended a half-hour delay to the start to attain the best possible conditions,” the statement said.
The IAAF said the forecast WetBulb Globe Temperature — a measure of the heat stress which combines temperature, humidity, wind speed and other factors — was expected to be 28 degrees Celsius (82 Fahrenheit) at the new start time.
The bulk of events in Doha are taking place inside the climate-controlled confines of Khalifa Stadium, where a state-of-the-art air-conditioning systems maintains a comfortable temperature of around 23 degrees.
Heat wave hits Doha
But marathon runners and endurance athletes however have been left to battle through heat and humidity alone, stoking safety fears and drawing criticism from athletes.
The start times for all of the outside events have been shifted to around midnight in order to shield athletes from the worst of the heat.
However, not even a start just a minute before midnight on Friday could prevent chaos at the women’s marathon, where 28 of the 68-strong field fell by the wayside.
