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Tokyo Marathon to restrict entry to elite athletes due to coronavirus

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lostrune: "The more participants, the more probability that scenario happens - and then they infect thousands of other people."

That's what's called "gambler's fallacy". You could have a thousand infected and not spread it to those who aren't, and you could have ONE infected who spreads it simply because people become complacent with the smaller number and therefore more careless. THat's what we're seeing with influenza in Japan this year -- lowest rate in a very, very long time. Why? A shortage of masks due to the fear of COVID-19 leading to people actually taking care for a change. If they were honest about safety they would have canned the event entirely.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Convenience trumps safety once again. If they were serious about it being for safety reasons, it would be canned for the Olympic athletes, too. They don't have any special immunity that I'm aware of, and if there is a risk of people catching it from being there, that applies to said runners. If anyone gets it it is 100% on the organizers heads.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

they got race cancelation insurance to cover for that.

Tshirts are extra cost and a separate purchase this year...

print of a number ,2 pieces of instruction paper and chinese made towel ( manufacturing cost about 500Y top ) does not warrant 200usd fee kept.

The logical way would be either refund 70% or provide discounted guaranteed entry for next year like all normal races do worldwide.

Japanese race organisers, seem to think that putting force major quote on T&C substitutes legal decision, but that was never challenged. ,its kinda like if the water bottle u bought would have tiny letters saying u must give them extra money of u drink it ... saying something ,doesnt make it a law.

I have personally legally requested refund from shizuoka marathon ,thru paypal and plan to go thru with small claim filing if they refuse.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The reason they are not refunding is because they have already made the "Welcome" packages that they give all the runners..(towels,t-shirts, etc.) plus the marketing, staff fees, etc. They will send the runner packages to all the people who got cancelled and those people are guaranteed entry next year.( but they have to pay for the entry fee again). The crappy thing is the hotels that were booked now have to be cancelled and the airfare( people not in Tokyo area) lost. They can cancel flights but have to pay a penalty fee.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

i absolutely fail to see how "So the organizers thought it wouldn't be right to hold an event while some people were still not able to have a normal life. " would be any valid reason.... for anything at all

especially when it concerns some people living in remote karuizawa forest.... those should be having generators first of all ... and what connection does race has to have with electricity...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Alex Einz - The issue in Karuizawa last year was that same areas in the forests were without electricity for 3-4 days after the taifun tore down many trees. So the organizers thought it wouldn't be right to hold an event while some people were still not able to have a normal life. In the end, electricity was restored to all places before that weekend, but the decision had already been made...Anyway, the Autumn race is mainly to make money, following the very popular race in May!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

yea, i never get some of the people here with their strange "thanks" that are totally out of place.

when karuizawa guys decided to cancel last year with absolutely no real reasons .. some people were thankful too ... no clue why.. it was a sunny day and there was absolutely no issues with road or anything else...

atleast they did refund most of the fee after initially saying they wont

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Similar thing happened to me 1 1/2 years ago with the Matsumoto Marathon: the organizers canceled it on the night before, at 19.00 o'clock. The reason? A taifun was approaching and would reach the area late afternoon or evening, but since the town is surrounded by mountains it's never as dangerous as near the coast. Nevertheless JR decided beforehand to stop the express trains to Tokyo from noon that day, and the organizers thought the inconvinient return to Tokyo, or maybe impossible if further to the west, to be enough reason to crash everyone. What really pissed me off was the reaction on twitter: 95% of the comments were thankful(!) that the organizers would "worry" about them so much!!! Anyway, now I'm running trails only, enjoying it, getting stronger, going for longer distances and new challenges. Beats training and running just to be a few minutes faster by a lifetime!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I feel sorry for ya folks who are not gonna get to run the marathon this year, but as I mentioned above, frankly speaking you're not as important as the Olympic-qualifying runners whom, let's face it, the organizers are ultimately protecting

Ya guys get sick; the organizers feel bad; spend some time in the hospital and hopefully recover; then go on back to your lives; and the organizers hope to see ya again next year

The Olympic runners get sick; spend time in the hospital; who knows what happens to them for the Olympics in just 4 months; at best wait another 4 years; at worst they miss their only chance they've been training for in their lives

They're just higher in the totem pole of priorities

Still, like a canceled event ticket, redress is owed so the organizers should make it up for next time

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I seriously hope someone takes them to task and suing this corrupt outlet.

keeping the money , while reducing the organization fees ( less than half the time for road closures, no need for refreshments, no need for race insurance for participants all all the other toilet and so on expenses ) that means quite an amazing profit...

either they cancel the whole thing ( which will basically mean Koike has again lost ) or refund everyone + hotel and flight fees...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

One thing: the event is NOT canceled. 

"The Tokyo Marathon 2020 will be held only for the marathon elites and the wheelchair elites."

So in such case, Entry Regulations Article 13. should not apply. This applies only in case of event cancelation. 

Tokyo Marathon will still be held. They decided to restrict it and remove other categories. Same as when they decided to remove a citizenship/place of origin/residence as China. They offered refund in this case and free entry fee next year. 

They did not 'cancel' then even for Chinese.

They don't cancel the event for general entry. They restrict the event to 2 categories. 

Then ? 

They should reimburse or offer free entry next year.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

(18200Yen x 38000 runners) + Charity entry + ¿sponsors? is LOT OF MONEY they will not return at all.

Entry regulations .13 says:

"cancellation due to the reason not listed above and not accountable to the Organizer will not be refunded"

Of course this is accountable on the organizer, is HIS decision to cancel.

I'm not going to accept the deferred entry for 2021 (paying again the fee) I have nothing to do with THIEVES.

Maintain the race for Elite runners, is the perfect argument, they only care about business, Olympic business and TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN.

Is that the sense of sport?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I will actually start a bit of talk in running circles... maybe we could reach the 200 top guys to drop participation in this one...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

obviously more relevant than my post eh

ToraFeb. 17  10:23 pm JST

My uni student is going to Egypt tomorrow for 10 days,inc..... Gonna quarantine his @ss from any lessons for two weeks when he comes back next week.Lol

What uni you at, Willis? Mine starts in April. He seeing you out of the semester?

0( +0 / -0 )

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I guy in the office didn't win the lottery so he paid the 100000YEN charity fee to enter. That money is gone.... sure he gets to enter the 2021 event but I think he would need to pay again... doesn't seem fair to me.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Japanese “logic” on fine display here.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

didou:

Irrational decision at that time for a few dozens infected in the country.

Workplace and commuting trains, i.e. closed spaces are far more dangerous.

Marathon is not a necessity. Works are.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

https://ticket.tokyo2020.org/Home/TicketTerm/?culture=en-us

(5)“Force Majeure” means any cause beyond Tokyo 2020’s reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God, war, insurrection, riot, civil disturbance, acts of terrorism, fire, explosion, flood, theft, malicious damage, strike, lock out, weather, third party injunction, national defence requirements, public health emergency, and acts or regulations of national or local governments

Article 46 Force Majeure

Tokyo 2020 shall not be liable for any failure to perform any obligation under the Terms and Conditions to the extent that the failure is caused by a Force Majeure.

so yea... if they deem to cancel anyones tickets.. due to health emergency... they can and no need to refund anyone ... brilliant actually.. they can run the games, free of the crowds... and paid in full.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I applied for the Tokyo Marathon but didn’t get in. I feel so bad for the general entrants. Training for a marathon requires so much time, effort, and commitment. Now, less than two weeks away, the dream is over.

I can’t say I agree with the decision. There are thousands of people entering the country every day who could be contributing to the spread of the virus. Riding packed trains at rush hour is probably worse than the marathon.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I won the entry lottery and have been training extremely hard for this event since October 1. I'm so disappointed. And then they won't even refund the entry fee!

Just go and start running. Just be sure to take your entry information - and your gaijin card so you can show the police when they tackle you for being a "terrorist"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@kohakuebisu

I think you missed this.

japantoday.com/category/national/avoid-crowds-over-virus-japan-health-minister-warns

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I don't understand why this event is being singled out. The media tells us it is old people who are most vulnerable. They don't run marathons.

A quick google tells me both J-poppers Perfume and K-pop's Twice are playing Tokyo Dome in the next two weeks. The capacity for concerts is 55,000 people. Unlike marathons, they'll all be in the same seats for two hours, perfect for passing on anything contagious to anyone nearby.

As others suggest, this marathon quarantine sounds like virtue signalling to assuage fears about the Olympics.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

My uni student is going to Egypt tomorrow for 10 days,inc..... Gonna quarantine his @ss from any lessons for two weeks when he comes back next week.Lol

What uni you at, Willis? Mine starts in April. He seeing you out of the semester?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No refund? Wow. Guaranteed entry to next years event, but no word yet on if you (Local runners) have to pony up the entry fee again. The entry fee waived was only extended to the Chinese runners.

Seems a bit bizarre to worry about a marathon, when the public transportation network is still running as usual. 38000 runners outside versus millions daily - crammed into sardine cans on wheels. Now there is a virus spreading mechanism like few others. “Pennywise, pound foolish”

Seems more like lip service to worlds media to assuage fears ahead of the Olympics, if anything.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

They are not refunding the entry fee? WTF?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I won the entry lottery and have been training extremely hard for this event since October 1. I'm so disappointed. And then they won't even refund the entry fee!

10 ( +10 / -0 )

The Chinese government's ban on group travel out of the country remains in effect.

Relying on the CCP to protect Japan from the inbound spread of this dreadful virus is a recipe for disaster.

Stop the planes until things are under control in PRC.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

How can these runners be considered a "risk" of potentially spreading the virus, when presently plane-loads of Chinese are entering the country by the day?

Sensible precautions. However the flights from China continue...

The Chinese government's ban on group travel out of the country remains in effect.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

That would make sense to postpone. Cancelling like that is rude.

No they don't! They dont deserve anything other than getting their entry fee refunded!

Yubaru, you are missing the point. Marathon is a business (unlike olympics that are 90% covered by wasted tax money) and the real customers are all the nobodies that pay to run and bring relatives to encourage them (plus spend in travel and hotel). The elite athletes bring nothing, making them come and compete officially costs a fortune, makes it unconvenient for everybody.

That took years of marketing to render the events popular. And the stars that attract participants and spectators are not the elite athletes but other celebs.

In the next years, the disgruntled runners can choose to put their money and months of training in non-official races. Another race can become "the largest marathon in Asia".

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Kyushu asked only Chinese participants not to run their marathons.

http://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/13135358

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

So even general participants who live in Japan and have never exited the country at all, let alone to go to China, aren't allowed to run, and have put in months of training for nothing?

Unfortunately, they can be infected by others who are already infected from China, but may not know it until after the marathon.

The more participants, the more probability that scenario happens - and then they infect thousands of other people.

And then the worst-case scenario: if the Olympic marathon runners catch that infection from them. Frankly speaking, the Olympic marathon runners are more important than the general participants - the Olympic runners have been training for a marathon that only occurs once every 4 years, plus of course they represent their countries (and sponsorships).

Feel sorry for the runners that have been trying to win this lottery for years and now get barred.

It's only fair that they retain their spots for next year.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Travel at your own risk

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Japan blunders the quarantine, these people should of been taken off immediately

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Sensible precautions. However the flights from China continue...

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

And so the cancellation begins....

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Puzzled by this. How can these runners be considered a "risk" of potentially spreading the virus, when presently plane-loads of Chinese are entering the country by the day?

Because logic, man!

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Puzzled by this. How can these runners be considered a "risk" of potentially spreading the virus, when presently plane-loads of Chinese are entering the country by the day?

Feel sorry for the runners that have been trying to win this lottery for years and now get barred.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Tokyo Olympics chief executive Yoshiro Mori said last Thursday canceling the Summer Games "has not been considered."

They better start considering it, if just as a possibility, no matter how small it may be.

If they don't, and the contagion hasn't subsided by Spring, requiring the games need to be pushed back, they're going to like idiots if they don't have a plan in place by then.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I’m gunna run out there and play tag with the front runners. Then they will know how it feels to lose something they trained really hard for.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Irrational decision at that time for a few dozens infected in the country.

Workplace and commuting trains, i.e. closed spaces are far more dangerous.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

So even general participants who live in Japan and have never exited the country at all, let alone to go to China, aren't allowed to run, and have put in months of training for nothing?

They deserve better.

No they don't! They dont deserve anything other than getting their entry fee refunded!

-2 ( +9 / -11 )

So even general participants who live in Japan and have never exited the country at all, let alone to go to China, aren't allowed to run, and have put in months of training for nothing?

They deserve better.

10 ( +14 / -4 )

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