The Hakodate city government announced this week that it will make a decision by the end of May as to whether the July 5 Hakodate Marathon will go ahead as scheduled. In light of the spread of the novel coronavirus, this deadline was set based on the deadlines for cancelation of flights and accommodations. Following the Feb. 17 cancelation of the Tokyo Marathon's mass-participation division less than two weeks before the race, Hakodate organizers said that they would "make a decision as soon as possible." On Feb. 18 they announced that the race would be held as planned with countermeasures against the virus in place, but after a case of infection was found in the city of Hakodate the organizing committee decided through written communication to set the May deadline. The decision by the end of May will take into account the impact of cancelation on business income and expenditures, including existing order expenditures and advertising revenue from sponsors. In the e...
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