Tokyo Marathon limited to elite runners over virus fears

2 hours and 4 minutes. The times these marathoners are turning in on a regular basis these days are astounding.

@Wolfpack

Sounds like me on a shopping visit to the capital - they couldn't wait to get finished and out of Tokyo!

Could this be a sign of what's to come with the Olympics? In other words, even if it is not cancelled, only a few athletes and even fewer spectators show up.

Doug, correct. No refund to entrants. They get entry for 2021, but have to pay again!

Where is the 2020 entry fee revenue going??

Hate organized marathons anyway. If I want to run 42 kilometers, I just do it - it's free, and I can drink water from household taps along the way.

Where is the 2020 entry fee revenue going??

Revenue went is more like it.

The organizers use the entry fees to pay for advertising and other things related to the event, so they literally spent the money they received, so they dont have any to refund!

What does the japanese sports community means by elite ???. I thought in japan everyone is equal ???.

Tokyo organizers and the IOC have repeatedly said the Tokyo Games will go ahead as scheduled 

This seems very arrogant, if not naive - how can they know this, and what direction the coronovirus will take?

We have nothing to fear except the Tokyo Government itself.

Don't the Tokyo Marathon organizers have insurance for calamities, natural or man-made?

Use that money for refunds

Congratulations to the winner.

BUT...the situation really is hopeless. You just can't stop people from gathering together in crowds.

'Luckily', for most syptoms seem to be relatively mild. But if we don't stop congregating, the virus will simply continue to spread.

Could someone who has some understanding of the Tokyo Government's mindset help me explain to kids why it is OK to hold the sports marathon, but not go to school.

Ah, Look at the picture. It is open air right? The runners are running and thus creating space between themselves and the runners are are not making a contact with each right?

What about the fans? It is open air venue.

A school is a confined space and kids being kids will make contact with each.

Doug, correct. No refund to entrants. They get entry for 2021, but have to pay again!

Because it was in the contract:

which state that refunds will be paid only in the event of naturally occurring phenomenon such as strong rains or winds, structural damage by fires, earthquakes

Where is the 2020 entry fee revenue going??

a great deal of money was already spent in the preparations leading to the event, meaning that there are apparently significant hurdles to repaying the fees.

How was this allowed to go ahead? Double standards

except the Chinese are getting their money back or their 2020 fees are being deferred to 2021.

By closing down schools, aren't we exposing the kids to greater risk? Kids being kids won't stay at home, they will be all over the place. Visiting all kinds of places and mingling and interacting willvall kinds of people they won't otherwise be seeing and mingling with, if they had been at school. The risk is higher.

Could someone who has some understanding of the Tokyo Government's mindset help me explain to kids why it is OK to hold the sports marathon, but not go to school.

Dear ...chan and ...kun, for a Government, it's easy to give orders to schoolkids or even to their civil servant teachers that fear they wouldn't receive their pay from said Government. They can just obey. But it's mendo kusai to negociate with mediatized businesses like Tokyo Marathon and Olympics. Yes Kiddos, politics is a very complicated video game. Government has Gods know what complicated under-table relations with them...

While loosing your starting fee already sucks, imagine those who lost in the drawing and went for a "donation" ticket for 100.000 yen bc they really wanted to run this year. Wonder what will happen with their money, but probably the same as regular runners...

No refunds- typical for such events, see the NY Marathon, 2012.

Where does the money go? Legally binding commitments to vendors, among other things.

except the Chinese are getting their money back or their 2020 fees are being deferred to 2021.

Not so. Learn some Japanese, read the press reports, Patty.

What does the japanese sports community means by elite ???. I thought in japan everyone is equal ???.

What the rest of the world's sporting community means by the term.

How was this allowed to go ahead? Double standards

How was it allowed to go ahead? Learn some Japanese, read the news reports, We're living in the Reiwa era, by the way, Heisei-kun.

Tokyo government is part of the marathon organization

They kept the race for I think two reasons

It is a qualifying race for Japanese athletes

it shows events can be organized even if virus fears, that is good for the Olympics to show they can do it