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USATF News and Notes, March 9, 2018
3/9/2018

USATF’s David Katz named Course Measurer for 2020 Olympic Games
INDIANAPOLIS — Longtime USATF official and technical expert David Katz has been selected as Course Measurer for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 at the recent IAAF Council Meeting in Birmingham, England. This is his Katz’s third appointment in this role, having previously served in 2012 and 2016.

A member of the IAAF Technical Committee since 2003, he has served a variety of roles in his more than 35-year career, including Technical Delegate, ICRO, Technical Director, Meet Director, athlete, surveyor, and coach with a strong technical background in both track & field and road racing.

Katz was Technical Delegate for the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships and the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He has been ICRO for three IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and International Road Course Measurer at the 2012 Olympic Games, as well as road course measurer at the 1984 and 1996 Games. He served as an International Road Course Measurer at the 2016 Olympic Games and was technical director for the Millrose Games, adidas Grand Prix, New Balance Boston Indoor Games and the Goodwill Games.

Katz is a member of the 2017 USATF Officials Hall of Fame and the USATF New York association.
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Thanks Duane
I was already in Tokyo and few weeks ago to review the course with the Local Organizing Committee and to meet with the Japanese measurers.
I am prohibited from revealing anything about the course until it has the final approval of the IAAF. But I can tell you it will be different from the last two Olympic Games with the start and finish in the Olympic Stadium. In regards to the number of measurements - the last two Olympic Games I measured with at least two other "A" measurers and we were in agreement so no additional measurements were necessary. I expect the Tokyo measurement to be the same. In addition to the marathon, the 1k & 2k race walk courses need to be measured as well. Obviously these courses are less demanding in time then the marathon but they still required a high degree of accuracy. In fact for the Rio Games we had done the measurement about a month before the competition but I set up the race walk course to be able to slightly modify one of the turns based on how the course signage was set up (which I would not know until race day). We had a calibration course about 300m from the race route. Two of us calibrated, then had the officials clear the course and we quickly did 4 measurements (2 each), then adjusted one of the turning points by a few centimeters. I had Bernie sitting waiting for the adjustment of the one turn before signing off on the IAAF Certificate.

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