The deal will see the two organisations exchange knowledge and experience to support preparations for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the Japanese capital.

According to the Organising Committee, it will also allow them to "deepen its understanding of how to prepare for and operate one of the most iconic events of the Olympic Games".

"We hope to leverage the Marathon Foundation’s know-how derived from operating the Tokyo Marathon, one of the world's biggest citizens' marathons, in our preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Games," Naoko Takahashi, marathon gold medallist at Sydney 2000 and the chair of Tokyo 2020’s Athletes’ Commission, said.

"That know-how and the experience we will gain running the Tokyo 2020 Games will hopefully be passed down as a legacy for future Tokyo Marathons. 

"I believe that this partnership will create a valuable asset for the sporting community in Japan.”

Among the elements of staging the event that the Tokyo Marathon Foundation will share knowledge of with Tokyo 2020 are their insights regarding the management of the flows of runners and supporters while minimising disruption to the city’s traffic.

Managing a large team of volunteers will also be discussed, as well as ensuring the security operation runs smoothly.

The Tokyo Marathon Foundation will also use the partnership to strengthen future editions of the annual race in the city.

The 2017 Tokyo Marathon, which has been part of the World Marathon Majors series since 2013, took place in February and attracted 36,000 runners.

London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Wilson Kipsang of Kenya won the men's elite race in the Japanese capital in a time of 2hr 03min 58sec.

His compatriot Sarah Chepchirchir claimed the women's honours by clocking 2:19.47.