The Tokyo marathon excludes more than 37,000 amateur runners for fear of the spread of the coronavirus

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  The Tokyo marathon excludes more than 37,000 amateur runners for fear of the spread of the coronavirus
  

The marathon organizers of Tokyo have decided to allow only the participation of lite athletes and prevent that of amateur runners by the fear the spread of the coronavirus in Japan, where the number of cases is increasing.

The Tokyo marathon, scheduled for next March 1st, had about 38,000 registered participants, but after this decision only slightly more than 200 professional athletes The highest level may take part in the event, as confirmed by the organization.

“Preparations to take measures against the spread of infected people were underway for the Tokyo marathon, but it will be difficult to conduct this tournament, in which so many amateur runners participate, while it has been confirmed the infection of multiple people in Tokyo“, they explained through a statement.

The organizers will allow the participation of lite athletes only, including those in wheelchairs, and announced that they will not reimburse the registration fee of amateur runners.

According to the registration rules of the Tokyo marathon, the fee is only refundable if canceled due to snow, flood, structural damage caused by winds, lightning, tornadoes or ongoing fires, or by order of the authorities before an earthquake or a terrorist alert .

“Cancellation for reasons not mentioned above and for which the organization cannot be held responsible not be refundable“, says the regulations published on its website.

The decision comes a few days after the government of the capital asked the Chinese runners not to participate in the race as a measure to contain the spread of the virus.

The Tokyo Marathon is an event qualifier for the Olympic Games They start in the city in July and several of the Japanese athletes are looking to take some of the places at stake, including Suguru Osako and Yuta Shitara.

Less than six months after the start of the Olympic event, the coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 Focusing on the Chinese city of Wuhan has already affected the celebration of several sporting events, although both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the organization of Tokyo 2020 They have reiterated that it has not been considered to cancel the Games.

Japan has detected until Monday afternoon a total of 515 cases of coronavirus under its jurisdiction, including 454 infections on board the Diamond Princess cruise which remains in quarantine in front of the city of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, since February 3.

The virus, which can cause pneumon, has already affected more than 70,500 people in China, of which at least 1,170 have died.