DeNA Running Club abolished Next year and beyond To support the activities of professional athletes October 5, 17:01
Toshihiko Seko, who played an active part in the men's marathon, will serve as an advisor, and the "Yokohama DeNA Running Club", to which athletes with medium and long distances on land belong, will be abolished only this year.
From next year onward, we will support activities such as professional athletes.
The Yokohama DeNA Running Club was launched in 2013 in the form of taking over the powerful "S & B Foods" of the business group in which many players such as Mr. Seko were active.
Currently, Mr. Seko serves as an executive advisor, and five athletes who have been active in the Hakone Ekiden, etc. belong to this group.
On the 5th, the team announced the future system and announced that they will "abolish" the club at the end of this year and will support players who are aiming to play an active part in international competitions such as the world championships from next year onwards.
Specifically, while the staff such as the manager will retire, the policy is to support professional activities for the desired players.
The reason for moving to the new system is that the spread of the new coronavirus has affected DeNA's sports business, which also has professional baseball and basketball teams, as a whole.
Mr. Seko said, "I think that in the future track and field, players who are confident in themselves will be more active under professional contracts. If I am an active player, I definitely chose the professional path. The change in the system may be a pioneering move to a new form as the relationship between athletics and companies diversifies. "