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Izumo Ekiden Officially Canceled



Still under discussion up to this point as to whether it could be held as scheduled on Oct. 11, the Izumo Ekiden has officially been canceled, with the municipal government of the event's host city, Izumo, Shimane, having already informed all major involved parties of its decision. Mayor Hideto Nagaoka, 69, held a press conference on July 27 to formally announce the move.

Those involved in the event and fans alike had raised their voices in support of the event going ahead when news emerged last week of the likelihood that the city government would cancel it. Inter-University Athletics Union officials were desperate to avoid a cancelation as it would have a major impact on whether other major races including the National University Ekiden and the Hakone Ekiden will go ahead this season.

But the coronavirus numbers continue to go up, not only in Tokyo but nationwide. The risks inherent in athletes and staff coming in from across the country coupled with the difficulty of securing the 2500 volunteers needed to put on the race forced the tough call to be made.

First held in 1989, the Izumo Ekiden is the season-opening race in the Big Three University Ekidens alongside Nationals and Hakone. Its only previous cancelation was in 2014 when a major typhoon hit the area on race day.

Translator's note: The Izumo Ekiden is the second major ekiden to be canceled during the coronavirus crisis, following the earlier cancelation of the Nov. 8 East Japan Women's Ekiden. As the article points out, the cancelation is likely to have heavy repercussions for other ekidens' ability to move forward this season. As we've seen with the ongoing cancelation of Japan's major marathons, even in cases where city governments want to go ahead with their event they will feel pressured by the precedent of another major event having been canceled, not wanting to be seen as criticizing or second-guessing another city's government by letting their own event go forward. The more events cancel, the stronger that pressure becomes. If any other major ekiden follows Izumo's decision the cycle will become very difficult to break. Mayor Nagaoka said that he hopes to be able to host the Izumo Ekiden in the fall of 2021, but that the likelihood of that happening would depend in part on whether the Tokyo Olympics go ahead.

source article:
https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/202007260000702.html
translated by Brett Larner

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