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March's Tokyo Marathon to Cancel if Government Asks

On Dec. 23, the Tokyo Marathon Foundation announced its decision that within the month prior to the planned Mar. 6 race date, if the government asks events to voluntarily refrain from going ahead as a measure against potential spread of the coronavirus it will cancel the race. The TMF also announced that it will not require runners and others involved in the event who are fully vaccinated to undergo PCR testing and will refund the 6800 yen they have already been charged for the tests. 

The Tokyo Marathon was last held in March, 2020 as a small, elite-only race. The 2021 edition was initially moved from March to October of this year, then postponed again to March next year.

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translated by Brett Larner

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Andrew Armiger said…
This would seem to imply TMF leadership has received fair warning from local government officials. This also leaves me wondering how TMF can financially survive another cancellation/postponement. It must be a different model than in the US, and clearly there will be perpetual entrant demand for a marathon race in Tokyo. No doubt it must seem frustrating to those on the ground to see races across the globe proceed this fall and presumably in the spring to come while locals remain so timid. Or does it seem entirely justified?
December 26, 2021 at 7:10 AM
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