The Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF) has decided to cancel the 96th Japan National Open Water Swimming Championships due to the impending typhoon situation. The multi-day event was slated to take place this weekend at Hojo Beach, Tateyama City, Chiba Prefecture.
As of 1:00 pm local time, the JASF stated today, October 8th, “with the approach of the typhoon, we have been considering the course and the possibility of still holding the event. But, we decided, based on the weather forecast, that it would be difficult to manage the event safely and it is therefore cancelled.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience but thank you for your understanding.”
Typhoon Chan-hom was 260 kilometers (160 miles) southeast of Japan’s southern island of Tanegashima on Thursday evening with maximum winds of 126 kilometers (78 miles) per hour, the nation’s Meteorological Agency said. Heavy rain and wind are expected to hit western japan Friday, with eastern Japan, including Tokyo, being impacted over the weekend.
This year’s Japan Open Water Swimming Championships were originally set to be the selection event for the 2021 FINA Marathon World Series, as well as the 2021 Australian Championships. We will provide an update on qualification procedures and possible rescheduling based on information revealed by JASF in the coming days.