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Sendai's Main Track Stadium Heavily Damaged in Mar. 16 Earthquake


Miyagi Stadium and Miyagi Sports Park Pool in the Sendai suburb of Rifu both sustained heavy damage in the Mar. 16 earthquake which struck the region. With no timeline for repairs, upcoming races at both facilities are set to be canceled.

At Miyagi Stadium, the force of the earthquake bent the upper tier of spectator seating near its middle section. A 30 m section of the reinforced concrete base supporting the seating was bent, with part of it collapsing. Due to continuing aftershocks the stadium's safety and structural integrity cannot be assessed, and as a result the 2022 National Sports Festival prefectural track and field qualifying meet scheduled to be held there next month will be moved elsewhere.

At the pool, a 20 m section of the ceiling collapsed during the earthquake, with debris scattered across the pool's diving platforms and spectator seating. The rest of the ceiling has been deemed unstable, leading to the cancelation of a time trial meet and diving competition scheduled there this weekend.

The extent of the damage to both facilities is still being investigated, and there is currently no timeline for repair work or their reopening. Prefectural Sports Association official Hideki Onodera commented, "After the 2011 earthquake a large number of cracks were found in the support pillars for the Miyagi Stadium's roof, and it took about a year and a half to repair them. Once we have fully assessed the current situation we hope to take the necessary steps to reopen as quickly as is possible."

source article:
translated by Brett Larner

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