The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games announced Thursday the triathlon courses for the 2020 Games, saying the events will take place on the "most urban" course in Olympic history.

The organizers and the International Triathlon Union said the individual triathlon, mixed relay and Para-triathlon events will mainly take place in Odaiba, a manmade island in central Tokyo.

The athletes will compete over a course overlooking several landmarks, including Rainbow Bridge which connects the island in Tokyo Bay with the center of Tokyo.

"The location is perfect and it is incredibly exciting to be right in the heart of Tokyo at the Odaiba Bay," ITU President Marisol Casado said in a statement.

"It is a great opportunity to showcase this amazing city to the whole world as the best triathletes and Para triathletes on the planet compete among Tokyo's iconic landmarks," he said.

All of the events will start and finish at the Odaiba Marine Park. In the Olympic individual events, the athletes will begin their 1.5-kilometer swimming leg from a bridge located in the park. The 40-km bike and 10km running course will take place in and around the park.

"It's the most urban course I've ever seen," said triathlete Hirokatsu Tayama, who has competed at every Olympics since 2004.

"When I imagine the cheering crowds at Odaiba Marine Park and along public roads in the city center, I really envy the athletes who'll be competing and feeling that excitement."

The organizers, however, still have to tackle a water quality problem at Odaiba Marine Park. A survey last year found E. coli bacteria at concentrations up to 21 times the level permitted by the sport's governing body.

The Tokyo metropolitan government has attributed the excessive reading to a record rainfall last August. Nevertheless, the Japanese capital and the organizers started experiments in July to test the contamination level.

"I hope good water quality at Odaiba can be assured so athletes can compete safely and to leave a positive legacy for the future," Tayama said.