Discrimination...Japan does it again

Linkage

The Asahi Shimbun Bowing to complaints from disgruntled fans, a high school athletic association will prohibit foreign students from running the first leg of the All-Japan High School Ekiden Championships relay marathon starting next year.

The All Japan High School Athletic Federation said the decision, reached Tuesday, is intended to make the races more interesting for fans.

But others say the move reeks of discrimination against foreign students.

In recent years, especially in the boys' division, many students from Kenya have started the first--and longest--section of the ekiden races.

They have often built such wide leads that rival teams have had almost no chance to catch up in the later legs.

Ekiden fans and organizers said the strategies of those teams have made the races dull because the huge early leads all but eliminate the chances for the drama of a close finish.

Teams with foreign students running the first leg have won the All-Japan High School Ekiden Championships five times in the past 10 years. Three of those victories were achieved after the first runner broke well ahead of the pack.

Of the five foreign students selected for the 2006 All-Japan High School Ekiden Championships, four ran the first section for their teams.

"We looked into the issue in a 'constructive' manner after angry fans criticized it is a turnoff to see foreign students scoring an insurmountable lead in the first section," said Kazunobu Umemura, executive managing director of the federation.

The rule will also apply to prefecture-level qualifying events.

The boys' 42-kilometer ekiden consists of seven sections, with a 10-km first leg. The girls' race, totaling 21 km, consists of five sections, starting with a 6-km leg.

Keisuke Sawaki, a director of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, said the high school federation likely had an "agonizing" time coming up with its decision.

"From the standpoints of 'internationalization' and school education, it would be ideal not to have any restrictions," he said. "In reality, however, the differences in physical capabilities between Japanese and foreign students are far beyond imagination."

Under rules established in 1994 by the All Japan High School Athletic Federation, the number of foreign students attending any competition under its supervision must be about 20 percent or less of all participating students.

In accordance with the rules, the number of foreign students who can enter the ekiden race has been limited to one from each school since 1995.

Koji Watanabe, coach of the track team at Nishiwaki Technical High School in Nishiwaki, Hyogo Prefecture, said new rules should be established to give public high schools without any foreign students a chance to win.

His team won the ekiden race in the boys' division a record eight times.

But Takao Watanabe, coach of the track team at Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School in Sendai, disagreed.

"It is questionable to distinguish runners by nationality," said Watanabe, whose team won the ekiden race for three straight years with Kenyan students through 2005. "The decision is not good from an educational point of view because it can be viewed as excluding foreign students."(IHT/Asahi: May 23,2007

Looks like limiting foriegn students practicapation to Just one student per those races wasn't enough....

Are Japanese people really that physically weak?... we had a Japanese foreign exchange student on our wrestling team once, he kept up with everyone elseqead

Its a bit amusing...Its kind of like saying the foreign kids are that much better. So we need to limit them. Well...What is that making the native kids out to be? 

so is because they geting pwned?

Are Japanese people really that physically weak?... we had a Japanese foreign exchange student on our wrestling team once, he kept up with everyone elseqead

Japanese tend to be shorter, that's it I guess.  In wrestling being shorter doesn't hurt you as much as in a sport like running or basketball. 

[QUOTE="qead"]Are Japanese people really that physically weak?... we had a Japanese foreign exchange student on our wrestling team once, he kept up with everyone elseAcenso

Its a bit amusing...Its kind of like saying the foreign kids are that much better. So we need to limit them. Well...What is that making the native kids out to be? 

Doesn't make much sense to me... even if they are that much better it's only one a few students. it might lead one to believe this decision was racially motivated 

It's not like other countries dont discriminate. No matter what there will always be discrimination...darkflame_100

.GerbertheGamer

LMAO you an NTer?   

Are Japanese people really that physically weak?... we had a Japanese foreign exchange student on our wrestling team once, he kept up with everyone elseqead

Hmm things like that don't really surprise me I am black, tall as hell, and in pretty good shape. But I am mediocre at most physical activities.

So, the japanese can't do anything themselves, so now theyre making it so others can't....

that really does great for their image. 

Didn't you notice its called the ALL JAPAN High School Athletics Association? Hyper-Chicken

I have heard of very explicit discrimination in japan. For example outisisde of certain clubs there would be signs that say "no dogs or gaijin" which means foreigner, in that context.

In this case i kinda ended up thinking the same thing as hyper-chicken lol.

I think the reasons they gave are pretty weak though i dunno, i'm tired.  

Damage Control at its finest