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Mie Prefecture Asks for Next Month's National Sports Festival to be Canceled




In an interview with a source involved in the situation, on Aug. 21 it was learned that the Mie Prefectural Government has asked the Japan Sports Association and other stakeholders to consider canceling next month's 76th National Sports Festival in light of the current explosion in coronavirus case numbers throughout the country. The Japan Sports Association and Ministry of Eduction, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, co-sponsors of the Festival, plan to hold discussions on the issue soon.

The National Sports Festival is scheduled to be held in Mie prefecture from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5. Some events, including swimming, gymnastics, wrestling and judo, were scheduled to begin Sept. 4 prior to the official opening of the Festival. At a meeting on July 29 the National Sports Festival Organizing Committee agreed to a proposal to examine the advantages and disadvantages of going ahead with the Festival. The Mie Prefecture Medical Association, a group made up of doctors, dentists and medical professionals, and the municipal government of Iga, host city for handball and other sports, had asked for the Festival to be canceled.

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translated by Brett Larner

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