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

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

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

The Tokyo marathon, scheduled for March 1 , had about 38,000 registered participants, but after this decision, just over 200 professional athletes of the highest level could 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 would be difficult to conduct this tournament, in which so many amateur runners participate, while the infection of multiple people in Tokyo has been confirmed ," they explained to through a statement.

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

"The cancellation for reasons not mentioned above and for which the organization cannot be held responsible will 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 a qualifying event for the Olympic Games that will begin in the city in July and several of the Japanese athletes seek to take any of the places at stake, including Suguru Osako and Yuta Shitara.

Less than six months after the start of the Olympic event, the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak with a focus on the Chinese city of Wuhan has already affected several sporting events, although both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the organization Tokyo 2020 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 ship that remains in quarantine in front of the city of Yokohama, south of Tokyo, since February 3.

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

According to the criteria of The Trust Project