Skip to main content

Planned New 'Tokyo Marathon Foundation' Pledged to be Corruption-Free

http://mainichi.jp/area/tokyo/news/20100609ddlk13010254000c.html
http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00178713.html
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/region/kanto/tokyo/100608/tky1006081853016-n1.htm

translated and edited by Mika Tokairin and Brett Larner

At the regular meeting of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on June 8, Metropolitan Government officials held a public question and answer session with representatives of the four major political parties. Among the topics was the planned incorporation of a "Tokyo Marathon Foundation" to oversee management of the event's future. The Minshu Party questioned whether the Foundation would be merely "a cushy perk for upper-level bureaucrats leaving direct public service." Metropolitan officials explained, "The Foundation will serve to maintain the race's organization and thereby allow it to operate as a world-class marathon event. There will be no favoritism for government officials in obtaining positions in the Foundation."

Having been held four times since its inception in 2007, the Tokyo Marathon has thus far been operated by a committee consisting of members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese athletics federation Rikuren and the media. Now the Metropolitan Government is planning to spend $8 million to establish the Tokyo Marathon Foundation. Minshu Party representatives questioned whether this move is in opposition to ongoing administrative reforms. An official from the Metropolitan Government's Lifestyle, Culture and Sports Bureau answered, "By unifying responsibilities, the race administration will become more efficient and the financial burden upon the Metropolitan Government will be reduced." The official also stated that the contract laying out the terms for the business the Foundation will receive from the Metropolitan Government is subject to the Government's standard disclosure policies.

Jimin Party representatives gave a positive evaluation of the proposal, saying, "By incorporating the event's management they will be able to meet the race's needs and stabilize its operation." Mayor Shintaro Ishihara commented, "The Tokyo Marathon has had a very positive response from overseas. It is like a large festival uniting the city through thousands of volunteers and spectators coming together. We hope to use the advantages brought by incorporating the race to help the Tokyo Marathon become a major charity fundraiser and the world's greatest marathon event."

Yoshio Koide, the famed coach of Sydney Olympics women's marathon gold medalist and former marathon world record holder Naoko Takahashi, visited with Metropolitan Government officials the same day to voice his support for the establishment of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation. "The Tokyo Marathon is far too large-scale an event to be handled by City Hall," he told them. "The move to incorporate the race's management will have untold benefits and will significantly help to pull in the needed major corporate sponsors. Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin and the other big races all do it that way, so we should do it here in Japan. I strongly urge you to take this step."

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Japan's Olympic Marathon Team Meets the Press

With renewed confidence, Japan's Olympic marathon team will face the total 438 m elevation difference hills of Paris this summer. The members of the women's and men's marathon teams for August's Paris Olympics appeared at a press conference in Tokyo on Mar. 25 in conjunction with the Japan Marathon Championship Series III (JMC) awards gala. Women's Olympic trials winner Yuka Suzuki (Daiichi Seimei) said she was riding a wave of motivation in the wake of the new women's national record. When she watched Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) set the record at January's Osaka International Women's Marathon on TV, Suzuki said she was, "absolutely stunned." Her coach Sachiko Yamashita told her afterward, "When someone breaks the NR, things change," and Suzuki found herself saying, "I want to take my shot." After training for a great run in Paris, she said, "I definitely want to break the NR in one of my marathons after that." Mao

Weekend Racing Roundup

  China saw a new men's national record of 2:06:57 from  Jie He  at the Wuxi Marathon Sunday, but in Japan it was a relatively quiet weekend with mostly cold and rainy amateur-level marathons across the country. At the Tokushima Marathon , club runner Yuhi Yamashita  won the men's race by almost 4 1/2 minutes in 2:17:02, the fastest Japanese men's time of the weekend, but oddly took 22 seconds to get across the starting line. The women's race saw a close finish between the top two, with Shiho Iwane  winning in 2:49:33 over Ayaka Furukawa , 2nd in 2:49:46.  At the 41st edition of the Sakura Marathon in Chiba, Yukie Matsumura  (Comodi Iida) ran the fastest Japanese women's time of the weekend, 2:42:45, to take the win. Club runner Yuki Kuroda  won the men's race in 2:20:08.  Chika Yokota  won the Saga Sakura Marathon women's race in 2:49:33.  Yuki Yamada  won the men's race in 2:21:47 after taking the lead in the final 2 km.  Naoki Inoue  won the 16th r

Takeuchi Wins Niigata Half in Boston Tune-Up

Running in cold, windy and rainy conditions, Ryoma Takeuchi (ND Software) warmed up for April's Boston Marathon with a win at Wednesday's Niigata Half Marathon . Takeuchi sat behind Nittai University duo Susumu Yamazaki and Ryuga Ishikawa in the early stages, then made a series of pushes to pick up the pace. Each time he tucked in behind whoever went to the front, while behind them others dropped off. Before 15 km only Yamazaki and Riki Koike of Soka University were left, and when Takeuchi went to the front the last time after 15 km only Koike followed. By 16 he was gone too, leaving Takeuchi to solo it in to the win in 1:03:13 with a 17-second negative split. "This was my last fitness check before the Boston Marathon next month, and my time was right on-target," he said post-race. "Everything went as planned. I'm looking forward to racing some of the world's best in Boston, and my goal there is to place in the single digits." Just back from tr