The 37th edition of the Konami Swimming Open in Japan has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Originally slated to be held on Saturday, February 20th and Sunday, February 21st in 2021, the host’s executive committee has made the cancellation effective in the interest of ‘the safety of athletes, parents, leaders and tournament officials.’
This year’s 2020 edition of the Konami Open broke ground with a new cash incentive as organizers and sponsors offered up a whopping 30 million yen prize to anyone who would have broken a World Record at the meet. That equates to approximately $275,000 USD.
Historically, the Konami Open has seen some stellar performances, including Katsumi Nakamura‘s still-on-the-books 100m free national record of 47.87 from the 2018 edition. In 2016, Rikako Ikee clocked a new World Junior Record of 24.74 at just 15 years of age.
This year, double 2019 world champion Daiya Seto hit a swift 59.93 time in his off-event of the 100m breaststroke. He also raced a rare 200m free, clocking a time of 1:46.65 for a new lifetime best.
In terms of how the canceled Konami Open impacts the bigger racing picture for Japanese swimmers, there are plenty of racing opportunities available as the Olympic qualification window narrows.
Below are the dates of big domestic events for Japanese swimmers as we know them to be right now:
December 2020:
- 2020 Japan Swim
January 2021
- Hamana Bay LC Meet
- Yamagata Prefectural New Year’s Swimming Meet
- Chiba Prefectural New Year’s Swimming Meet
- Tokyo Metropolitan New Year’s Swimming Meet
- 2021 Kosuke Kitajima Cup
February 2021
- 2021 Japan Open
- Tokyo Junior Winter SC Meet
- 2020 Kirara Cup
March 2021
- JOC Spring Swimming Tournament (virtual locations)
- Tokyo Senior Spring Meet
April 2021
- 2021 Japan Swim (Olympic Trials)