The Kishiro Stadium athletics track in Akashi Park in the city of Akashi, Hyogo, is on the brink of losing its official certification by the JAAF. Official certification must be renewed every 5 years, but due to a change in regulations over lane width the longstanding facility no longer meets the criteria for official certification.
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Official track facilities are divided into four categories based upon factors such as spectator capacity and warmup track availability. If a track is not certified, no performances at any competitions held there will be recognized as official marks. The Akashi Park track, a Class 3 facility, has a total of 8 lanes of 1.25 m width each. The JAAF rulebook originally specified lane widths of 1.22 m or 1.25 m, but in 2019 this was modified to meet international standards by recognizing only the 1.22 m lane width. As a result, Akashi will be forced to meet the new criteria by the time of its next certification in the spring of 2023.
Opened in 1949, the Akashi Park track has hosted major events including the Hyogo Relay Carnival. These days it is used mostly for time trial meets organized by the local track and field association and for elementary and junior high school competitions. Mayor Fusaho Izumi has repeatedly asked the prefecture for funding to modify the track. Governor Motohiko Saito attended the opening ceremony of a prefectural citizens' sports competition at the track on May 8 and examined the situation.
Changing the lane widths would require a complete renovation of the track surface and is expected to cost 200 million yen [~$1.5 million USD], but at a press conference on May 11 Governor Saito expressed support for the project, saying, "Many of our children are working hard in order to run their best at this track. As a transitional measure I would like to determine whether results from this facility can still be accepted for a limited period of time."
Sometimes called the home of Japanese track and field, Hyogo prefecture hosts 21 officially certified Class 1 to Class 4 track facilities. According to the JAAF, as of February, 2022, Osaka hosts only 10 and Kyoto only 9.
translated by Brett Larner
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