Tens of thousands of amateur runners have to do without the start of the Tokyo Marathon on March 1st. The corona virus is to blame. However, the event, which is considered a qualification run for the Olympics, should not be a complete one.
Due to the dangers posed by the novel corona virus, only around 200 elite athletes are allowed to take part in the traditional Tokyo marathon. Originally, 38,000 runners were expected to compete in the Japanese capital in the run-up to the Summer Olympics. But out of concern for the virus that broke out in China, amateurs are now not allowed to participate on March 1, as the organizers announced on Monday.
Apologize to those affected, “but these restrictions are necessary,” said Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. Japan, where more than 510 cases of the new pathogen have now been confirmed, including 454 on a quarantined cruise ship in neighboring Yokohama, is trying to prevent spread six months before the Olympics.
Planning for Olympia “not affected”
The Tokyo Marathon is also a qualification competition for the games scheduled from July 24th to August 9th. The field of top athletes includes 176 runners and 30 wheelchair athletes. Despite the spreading virus, Japan wants to host the games as planned. The head of the Japanese Olympic Committee, Yoshiro Mori, recently confirmed at a meeting with the International Olympic Committee in Tokyo that the planning for the games would not be affected. “I would like to make it clear again that a cancellation or postponement of the Tokyo games was not considered.”
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