Tokyo Marathon limits participants due to coronavirus

The Tokyo Marathon will limit its number of participants due to concerns over coronavirus, organizers said Monday. 

The March 1 marathon will now be held only for “marathon elites” and “wheelchair elites,” according to the update. 

“We have been preparing for the Tokyo Marathon 2020 (Sunday, March 1) while implementing preventive safety measures, however, now that case of COVID-19 has been confirmed within Tokyo, we cannot continue to launch the event within the scale we originally anticipated,” marathon organizers said. 

The entry free and received donations will not be refunded, but registered runners can defer their entry to the 2021 Tokyo marathon. 

Earlier this month the Chinese Grand Prix, the fourth race in the Formula One season, was postponed due to concerns over coronavirus. 

The organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have stressed that the games will not be canceled based on the coronavirus outbreak.