World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe has acknowledged the World Championships will face "some heat challenges" when competition gets underway on Saturday in Tokyo.

Japan has endured a stifling summer of record-breaking heat over the past month, with 15 cities recording their highest temperatures since records began in 1898.

During August, 44 of the country's 47 prefectures issued heat stroke warnings, while temperatures in Tokyo were expected to hit 30 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with 75 per cent humidity.

On Sunday, that temperature will rise to a predicted 34C.

Unlike at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, long-distance walking events and the marathon will take place in Tokyo at the World Championships, with the 35km race walk starting at 8am local time (9am AEST) on Saturday.

The

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