A retirement ceremony for local masters track and field legend Shoji Tomihisa , 105, was held May 13 at his usual training ground at Miyoshi Sports Park Field in Miyoshi, Hiroshima. Tomihisa began competing in athletics at age 97, setting a Japanese national record 16.98 for 60 m in the men's 100~104 age group at the 2017 Chugoku Masters Track and Field meet. Last year Tomihisa was the oldest person in Hiroshima selected to run as a torchbearer in the Tokyo Olympics torch relay. Due to the coronavirus pandemic the relay on public roads was canceled, and while he did take part in related ceremonies his run was ultimately canceled. Tomihisa recently took up the shot put, but in light of his fading physical strength he made the decision to retire from competition. Around 30 members of the Shoji Tomihisa Booster Club attended the retirement ceremony. After receiving a bouquet of flowers from them Tomihisa in turn gave them a colored paper placard on which he had written the characters
Canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the organizing committee of the Towada Hachimantai Ekiden have announced that the race will return this year for its 75th anniversary. The ekiden will take place Aug. 7 with both women's and men's divisions and will be held with strict COVID countermeasures in place. Organizers hope that its return for the first time since 2019 will bring more popularity and exciting racing than ever before. The organizing committee made the decision to commit to going ahead with this year's race at a meeting at Kazuno City Hall on May 10. At the meeting they determined the terms under which the ekiden will take place and how to proceed with preparing to put it on. Team entries will be accepted until July 8. Known as the Jupachi Ekiden, an abbreviated reading of the kanji making up the event's full name, the race was founded in 1948. Each year, dozens of university, corporate league and local club teams compete. Its ca