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Hakone Ekiden World Athletics Heritage Plaque to be Displayed at Hakone Ekiden Museum

The KGRR, organizers of the Hakone Ekiden, have announced that the event's World Athletics Heritage Plaque awarded at a ceremony at May's 101st Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships will be on permanent display at the Hakone Ekiden Museum in Kanagawa along with a replica of the statue at the the Hakone Ekiden start and finish point in Otemachi, Tokyo. The items are to be delivered to the museum on June 27, after which they will be incorporated into its exhibits and opened for public viewing. 

The Heritage Plaque program, the "World Heritage Site" of athletics, was established by World Athletics in December, 2018. The program recognizes important elements of the sport's heritage in five categories:
  1. City - Awarded to locations that have hosted multiple important international competitions.
  2. Competitions - Awarded to key global events with a long history.
  3. Legends - Awarded to athletes, coaches and officials.
  4. Landmarks - Awarded to stadiums and other historic facilities.
  5. Culture - Awarded to publications, films, and other media.
Japan has received six Heritage Plaques to date recognizing:
  • Chuhei Nanbu - The only athlete in history to have held the world record in both the long jump and triple jump.
  • Hakone Ekiden - Japan's premier road race, a road relay with almost 100 years of history.
  • Yoshio Koide - Coach of Naoko Takahashi, the first woman to break 2:20 in the marathon and Japan's first Olympic marathon gold medalist.
  • Rikujo Kyogi Magazine - Japan's most historic athletics specialty print publication.
  • Fukuoka International Marathon - Japan's most prestigious marathon.
  • Miko Oda - Japan's first Olympic gold medalist, winner of the men's triple jump at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics
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translated by Brett Larner

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