The women's soccer gold medal match between Sweden and Canada is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. local time in Tokyo, but both teams hope to see that change.
Despite being opponents in the upcoming game, the teams agree that the kickoff time is suboptimal. The championship match is the only one of the entire tournament scheduled to kick off before noon, meaning players will be subjected to sweltering summertime heat at the National Stadium that has felt like nearly 50 degrees Celsius at times throughout the Olympic Games.
"Canada Soccer is also in support of changing the kickoff time of the gold medal match at the Tokyo 2020 Women's Olympic Football Tournament to ensure the health and safety of our players," read a statement from the organizing body, which echoed an earlier request by the Swedes to have the match time changed.
At issue is the usage of the venue, which is also hosting track and field events. The teams have reportedly proposed 4 p.m. local time for kickoff, but that would clash with athletics events also set to take place in the stadium.
One possible solution, reported CBC's Kelly VanderBeek, is to move the match to Yokohama Stadium, which is also the site of Saturday's men's soccer final. With no other events planned for the site, a time change would be possible.
No decision has been made as of Wednesday night, with the teams set to train Thursday morning at 11 a.m. local time in Tokyo.