TOKYO: The Tokyo Marathon Foundation said Monday that it has decided to exclude runners from the general public from this year's event, set for March 1, amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

It will be the first time for members from the general public to be barred from the Tokyo Marathon since it started in 2007. Some 38,000 such people have entries for the 2020 race.

As a result, only elite athletes will take part in the 2020 event, which will include a race serving as a qualifier for the men's marathon for the Tokyo Olympics in summer.

For this year's Tokyo Marathon, the foundation has drawn up measures to prevent the spread of the virus, such as the distribution of face masks. An official at the foundation, however, said "we've concluded that it would be difficult to fully ensure safety" as infections are continuing.

The runners from the general public with the entries for this year's race will be eligible to participate in the next Tokyo Marathon, set for March 7, 2021. But they will have to pay the entry fees for the 2021 race, while the fees they paid for the 2020 event will not be returned based on rules of the event.

The fees for the 2020 race stood at 16,200 yen for people living in Japan and at 18,200 yen for those from abroad. A total of about 200 people have entries in the elite races, including that for wheelchair racers.

The foundation's decision, which came less than two weeks before the event, is likely to affect other sport events in Japan.

 An official at the secretariat for the Nagoya Women's Marathon, set for March 8, said that the organizer is considering what to do with the situation.

Sources said that the organizer of the event in the central Japan city of Nagoya may exclude runners from the general public, following in the footsteps of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation.

This year's Nagoya Women's Marathon is slated to be participated by a total of about 24,000 people, including runners from the general public.

JIJI Press