japan running news

The Paris Olympics, a celebration of top athletes who've refined their skills and bodies to the limit, kick off in a few hours. Technology to help enhance their already incredible performances continues to evolve, bringing changes to the frontlines of athlete development. The Olympic triathlon is a hybrid sport consisting of a 1.5 km win, 40 km bike ride and 10 km run that takes around 2 hours total to finish. Winning it takes not only top physical condition but also technique and mental preparation. In May an international triathlon was held in Yokohama. Kenji Nener (31, NTT) finished 7th, the best-ever placing by a Japanese male. "I'm getting close to my ideal range of physical motion," he said afterward, sounding enthusiastic about his chances at the Olympics. Temperature has a major impact on long-distance triathlons, so acclimatization is critical. Paris in July can be over 30˚, and in a heatwave even hotter. Core body temperature is a key element in keeping it ...

The Japanese government has announced a new tax incentive allowing people who bought tickets for sports or cultural events that were canceled due to the coronavirus crisis to claim non-refunded ticket fees as a deductible donation for tax purposes. A large number of sports, cultural and arts events have made the difficult decision to abandon all their preparations and work already done in order to follow the government's request to help fight the spread of the coronavirus among fans. Pending passage of a bill by the legislature, under the new system those who have chosen not to pursue a refund from canceled cultural and sports events will be allowed to categorize the amount lost as a donation for tax deduction purposes. The new tax system is intended to support everyone who wants to keep supporting their favorite teams and athletes and artists who even now are working hard to give us all strength and solace. The specific procedure is as follows: 1. Organizers ⇔ Agency for C...

A message from Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Daichi Suzuki Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus' current spread, at the request of the government competitions and events across the range of sport have been either canceled or postponed. This culminated with the Mar. 24 joint announcement by the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee of the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, and yesterday's announcement of the two events' new dates a year later. Many athletes and athletic teams are no doubt feeling the sting of pain, regret and sadness due to the cancelation of competitions for which they had already dedicated long hours of effort. There are also many who are feeling anxiety about their future plans whenever they see the news. It's the same for me. I'm not just the Japan Sports Agency Commissioner. I'm an athlete who has spent countless days in pursuit of my goals and dreams the same as the r...

On Jan. 11 the Japan Sports Agency sent out a notice to prefectural boards of education and sports organizations urging them to prevent unnecessary iron injections in student athletes. Late last year the issue of high school ekiden athletes being given injections of iron despite not suffering from anemia came to light. According to the Sports Agency's bulletin, intravenous injection of iron can lead to excessive levels of iron in the body, which in turn can negatively impact internal organs such as the liver, heart and pancreas as well as lowering the body's ability to produce hemoglobin. Iron injections should only be employed in cases where the anemia is critical or where oral administration of iron is not appropriate. The notice also pointed out that doctors should not make the decision to administer iron injections simply because a coach or athlete complains that their performance level is declining, and that appropriate treatment should be selected based on proper ...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2016/11/09/kiji/K20161109013687370.html translated by Brett Larner On Nov. 8 the Japan Sports Agency  issued the final report of a special investigative team.  The report revealed a serious shortage of anti-doping personnel within Japan who would be capable of performing the large volume of testing expected at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and pointed out the urgent need for training additional personnel.  The report also articulated the need for legislation governing the collection of information used to detect doping violations.  The bipartisan Sports Parliamentary Association will consider related bills and plans to submit them in an ordinary session of the Diet next year. Translator's note: A possibly related Japanese state media story from earlier this year .