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JAAF and NHK Apologize for Camera Crew Interfering With Men's 10000 m National Championships



The JAAF has issued a joint apology with meet broadcaster NHK to the athletes and teams affected by an incident during the May 7 10000 m National Championships at Tokyo's National Stadium. An NHK TV camera entered the track area and stretched out a cable in front of an oncoming athlete, who collided with it.

According to the JAAF and NHK, during the men's 10000 m A-heat, a two-person NHK camera crew in the infield area stepped out onto the track surface to get a closer shot of the top finishers. A cable extending back from the camera operator to his assistant caught athlete Shinji Mita of the Sunbelx corporate team in the neck, interfering with his performance. Immediately afterward, as the camera crew moved to get off the track they entered the path of another four oncoming athletes, who had to slow down as they tried to avoid colliding with the camera crew. All five athletes finished the race and were listed in the official results. Mita was taken to a hospital for examination, but no broken bones or other serious injuries were found.

A JAAF spokesperson stated, "As the meet organizer, this sort of thing should not have taken place. We need to examine further the causes of this incident and to take steps to ensure it does not happen again." An spokesperson for NHK commented, "The crew did not maintain an adequate awareness of its surroundings. The fundamental principle is that its operations should not interfere with the competition."

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translated by Brett Larner

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