IRONMAN has confirmed today that, after careful consideration and discussion, the au Insurance IRONMAN Japan triathlon in Hokkaido will be discontinued.
While Hokkaido has hosted popular events for the past three years, event organizers were forced to make major course changes prior to the 2015 race, due to a collapsed bridge along the bike course.
Despite still being able to put on a successful race in 2015, the organizing team notes that there are no viable alternatives available for the 112-mile bike course for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing bridge repairs. Because of this, IRONMAN has decided that ‘it is no longer feasible to produce a race that meets our high standards.’
Full distance IRONMAN racing in Japan has had some challenges over the years. Located in Hokkaido, Northern Japan, IRONMAN Japan-Hokkaido first got under way in 2013. The event itself was a replacement for the former IRONMAN Japan, which had to cancel in 2010 due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. This, at the time, forced the cancellation of the 2010 IRONMAN Japan event in Goto-Fukue, Nagasaki.
“IRONMAN has a strong brand and a long tradition of delivering world class triathlon events in Japan; we want to express our sincere thanks to the athletes, staff, volunteers, organizers, sponsors and communities involved in making this a great race over the last three years,” said Geoff Meyer, CEO for IRONMAN Asia-Pacific.
“Along with our organizer, ATHLONIA, we will continue to deliver a great event at the Lixil IRONMAN 70.3 Centrair Chita Peninsula Japan in June 2016 and look forward to bringing another IRONMAN event back to Japan in the future, possibly in Hokkaido.”
IRONMAN has recognized the long-standing support and loyalty of its Japanese athlete community who regularly travel across the globe to participate in IRONMAN events. In support of these athletes, IRONMAN plans to initiate a program for Japanese athletes at the newly appointed 2016 Cairns Airport IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship Cairns triathlon.
The 2016 Cairns Airport IRONMAN Cairns triathlon, taking place on 12 June, will be designated as the official IRONMAN destination event for Japanese athletes. The event will carry a special allotment of 30 additional qualifying slots, bringing the total to 105 slots for the 2016 IRONMAN World Championship event in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i.
According to IRONMAN, ‘This will ensure our Japanese athletes continue to have the opportunity to chase their Kona dreams. The additional 30 qualifying slots will be allocated to athletes who hold a current Japanese passport or a permanent residency card and present this at the slot allocation ceremony.’
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