(Bloomberg) -- The Tokyo Marathon Foundation said it will cancel the running event for non-professional runners as the coronavirus outbreak pressures cities and institutions to scrap large events.
Some 38,000 runners have registered for the race scheduled on March 1, according to the Tokyo Shimbun, which reported on the cancellation earlier.
“The cancellation is disappointing,” said Akari Terrell, who was planning to compete on the day. “This time, it can't be helped.”
Competitive races will still be held, as the Tokyo marathon is an Olympic trial race for professional runners. Last week, residents from China were asked to refrain from running in the race.
Major events have been called off or postponed in recent months due to the virus, including the Hong Kong Sevens international rugby tournament, as well as the annual Singapore Yacht Show.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in February had repeatedly said the 2020 Olympics would not be canceled or postponed despite fears about the novel coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands and cast a shadow over travel and tourism in Asia.
--With assistance from Kurumi Mori and Emi Nobuhiro.
To contact the reporter on this story: Shiho Takezawa in Tokyo at stakezawa2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Yusuke Miyazawa at ymiyazawa3@bloomberg.net, Kana Nishizawa, Reed Stevenson
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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