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Ironman Japan cancelled

The Japan Ironman has been officially cancelled. Ina statement released yesterday the organising committee have decided to err towards caution and not allow the race to occur due to the risk of foot and mouth disease.

Given that the race is held on an island the risk of the highly infectious disease was too much for the local authority who were afraid it was going to be transported in by the athletes from the mainland. The world famous Goto Beef is responsible for over 40% of the island's income so there was really no way that this event and risk was going to be allowed to take place.

There was also the motion tabled to have the race postponed. This again was met with resistance due to the fact that this is one of many events and the schedule could not commit to that.

The city was at pains to tell the athletes that the decision to do that was a tough one and that they hoped that there would be an understanding from all those involved.

This is a real blow for the 1500 odd competitors as they now scramble to their insurance companies for the refund. Ironman Japan Chairman Ikuko Nakao has hinted that they are considering reimbursing participants. This would be the minimum that they would do you would think.

This comes on the back of the bird flu scare that almost derailed the event in 2009. The WTC needs to seriously consider moving the event off the island where this sort of thing is invariably going to happen again. An Island the size and as fragile as Goto might not be the best place for an Ironman event. The Japanese mainland would be just as capable as holding an event like an Ironman and it would be less subjected to the vagaries of some agricultural disease.

We hope that all the athletes find themselves an alternate race to do.