Organisers of the Tokyo Marathon have announced that the 2021 edition of the event has been postponed until 6 March 2022.
Japan’s capital city is still in a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s not possible for the marathon to go ahead on the scheduled date of 17 October.
In a statement the Tokyo Marathon race director Tad Hayano said: “We have been preparing to deliver an enjoyable event while ensuring safety, not only of our runners but of each and every individual involved in the event. Until the last possible moment, we have explored various ways of delivering the event in October, however, in consideration of the current status of the outbreak, we have made a regrettable decision to postpone the 2021 event and give up on the 2022 event.
“I would like to sincerely apologise not only to our runners and volunteers, but to everyone who has been looking forward to our event. We hope for the pandemic to end soon. Until we reach the light at the end of the tunnel, our entire team will continue to work hard. Like the Tokyo Marathon slogan says, ‘The Day We Unite’, we look forward to the day we can meet. We exist because of your support. Thank you, and we appreciate your kind understanding.”
It was also confirmed that all related events – Tokyo Marathon EXPO 2021, Tokyo Marathon Friendship Run 2021, and the Tokyo Marathon Family Run 2021 – will be reorganised for March 2022.
Image: Tokyo Marathon Foundation/Twitter