Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. We previously wrote about the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim venue sites at the candidate city for the 2016 Olympics.
The Japanese hosted a 1.5 km Tokyo Marathon Swim to promote its bid with Olympic 800-meter freestyle gold medalist Ai Shibata, 1988 Olympic 100-meter backstroke Daichi Suzuki and 1992 Olympic 200-meter breaststroke gold medalist Kyoko Iwasaki in attendance.
The 1.5 km open water swim was held in Odaiba Marine Park near the heart of Tokyo where the proposed Olympic open water swimming and triathlon events will be held if Tokyo wins the bid.
In a translated statement, Shibata said, "I’m thrilled to join fellow Olympians and all of the motivated people participating in today’s swimming marathon. Odaiba’s beach is a stunning backdrop for the event and together with Tokyo’s passionate sport fans, we look forward to cheering on the elite athletes who will compete here if Tokyo is selected."Suzuki said, "I am delighted to see hundreds of passionate sports enthusiasts watching and taking part in swimming at Odaiba. I believe that Tokyo 2016 can provide an incredible stage for memorable performances, and am greatly excited by the prospect of seeing world-class athletes competing here in the 2016 Games."
The 2016 Olympic Games host city will be announced by the International Olympic Committee in October.
Photos courtesy of the Japan Swimming Federation.
Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association
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