Jamaica’s team manager at the World Athletics Championships, Ian Forbes, has downplayed concerns about soaring heat conditions in the host city, insisting that proper preparation and discipline will allow the country’s athletes to compete at their best.

“The heat has been a factor, it has been pretty hot but of course one has to take the necessary steps to mitigate that and of course hydration is one of those steps. With respect to the accommodation the village is really a hotel, top class with requisite air conditioning and other amenities to make it as comfortable as possible for the athletes,” Forbes told Observer Online.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe raised alarm and admitted that the athletes will face challenges competing as Japan experiences its hottest summer on record.

The country’s average temperature between June and August was 2.36 degrees above what was termed “the standard value”, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

“I don’t think it’s any secret, we do have some heat challenges in Tokyo. We had them actually at the time of the (Olympic) Games in 2021,” said Coe.

Meanwhile, Forbes also downplayed complaints made by some teams about the distance between the warm-up track and the competition venue.

The warm-up track, which once sat adjacent to the Japan National Stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games, was destroyed shortly afterwards, forcing World Athletics to adjust its own criteria, which call for a warm-up facility within walking distance of the main venue, to facilitate the championship being hosted by Tokyo.

Instead, “Oda Field”, which sits two kilometres away from the Japan National Stadium, has been renovated and will be used as the official warm-up track for the championship, raising concerns among some teams.

Forbes said he is expecting the team to rise above the issues and pointed to the work done and the camaraderie developed during the team’s pre-championship camp to encourage positive results and performances.

“This would have given team chemistry a huge boost, the camaraderie was very good of course, the focus was preparing for the championships but there was more than that. The whole multicultural scenario I think was well received and a lot of the athletes would have learnt a lot and it will enhance and give them a different perspective,” said Forbes.

Track and field coach Mark Elliott and 800m runner Kelly Ann Beckford in Tokyo, Japan (Photo: Paul Reid)