
Kippo: Local climate to benefit Japanese athletes
A senior competition official for the upcoming IAAF World Athletics Championships told the Kansai Press Club...that he is pinning high hopes on the performance of Japanese athletes for their improving capability coupled with local climate fitting them. The comment was made by Koji Sakurai, chairman of the Competition Committee..."Hotel accommodation and meals are of interest to athletes from other countries," he said. "They are expecting a great deal from the culinary environment of Osaka, where people are known to be willing to go bankrupt in pursuit of good food." As to the excruciating heat of Osaka in late August, he said, "Foreign athletes don't know how hot and humid it is in Osaka. The worse the conditions are, the more Japanese athletes will show their strength." Japan is likely to win medals in men's marathon, pole vault, hammer throw and others...Yoshimoto Kogyo, an entertainment company, and others have organized Osaka residents into cheering groups to enliven the event, he added.