Mayor Vows That Soja Kibiji Marathon Will Go Ahead: "What Is This Trend of Canceling Everything That Brings People Together?" (updated)

At a press conference on Feb. 19, Soichi Kataoka, mayor of Soja, Okayama, said that the Feb. 23 Soja Kibiji Marathon will go ahead as scheduled. As concern over the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread throughout Japan races scheduled for the next few weeks have been canceling one after another. Kataoka bucked the trend, saying that organizers would take every step possible such as distributing disinfectants at the race venue to make sure it could be staged safely. "What is this trend of canceling everything that brings people together?" he said.

The Soja Kibiji Marathon has 21,000 entrants from across the country, of whom 18,000 live within Okayama prefecture. It has no entrants residing abroad. If the situation worsens, for example if cases of infection with the virus within Okayama are confirmed before Sunday, Kataoka indicated that additional measures including cancelation will be considered.

At the same time, other events within Okayama have had cancelations. The city of Bizen announced that its Feb. 23 Hinase Kaki Festival on Feb. 23 will be canceled. Each year the festival brings in 50,000 people looking to enjoy the famous local oysters, but organizers judged that it would not be possible this year to ensure safe conditions for the participants.

Update: The Soja Kibiji Marathon has now been canceled.

source article:
https://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20200219/ath20021918030004-n1.html
translated and edited by Brett Larner