Press Release - Tokyo International Women's Marathon - 12/17/07

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

   Tokyo International Women's Marathon to Be Discontinued After 2008

The Tokyo International Women's Marathon, which is organized by the Japan 
Association of Athletic Federations(JAAF), Asahi Shimbun, and TV Asahi 
Corporation, will be discontinued after the 30th anniversary event to be 
held on November.16, 2008. 

This marathon began in 1979 as the first women's marathon in the world to 
have the approval of the International Association of Athletics 
Federations. The annual race provided an impetus for the women's marathon, 
which now attracts the world's attention as one of the most popular events 
in athletics, to become an official event at the Olympic Games. It became a 
tradition that laid the foundations for the progress of the sport.

We would like to express our thanks to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government 
and the Metropolitan Police Department for their tremendous support over a 
long time.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the organizer of the Tokyo Marathon, 
made a request to us to integrate the Tokyo International Women's Marathon 
with the Tokyo Marathon, which is open to general runners.

Also, the Metropolitan Police Department expressed the opinion that, from 
the viewpoint of traffic control, it would be difficult to continue two 
marathon races in the center of Tokyo every year. Although we have a desire 
to continue the Tokyo International Women's Marathon, which has become a 
tradition, we have decided that its discontinuation is inevitable.
 
We hope to make the 30th anniversary Tokyo International Women's Marathon a 
splendid event befitting the ending of the race. Also, we will confer with 
the JAAF and other parties concerned about plans to hold a new women's 
marathon elsewhere for the purpose of promoting the further progress of the 
sport.

 -The Asahi Shimbun

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