No.

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You should clarify your post with "Japanese Nationals eligible for 20 Kona slots at Ironman Canada Whistler". (pier is ambiguous...there is a pier in Whistler too). Also just so you know, the same process was available to Japanese athletes at IM Cairns last year. I'm OK with it, since there is no longer any IM Japan and there is a huge population of Japanese IM athletes. Having said that, any international athlete could qualify at IM Japan, but not every international can go for the Japan KQ slots at Whistler. But it is what it is. What is interesting is what do you do if you are a Japan athlete who KQ's outright in Whistler. If it was me and I was Japanese, I'd take the outright KQ slot preserving a Japan slot for my countryman, rather than taking a Japan KQ slot and leaving the outright slot to say an American, a Canadian or German <insert your non Japanese nationality of choice here>.

Here in Canada we went from 150 slots between Whistler, Muskoka and Tremblant in 2015 to 80 slots (Tremblant + Whistler) in 2016. So we got "cut in half", but that's the price of being part of an international community. We did not go from 50 to zero like in Japan. Arguably in Canada we are over represented, but we also have easy access for a ton of fast Americans to take our slots too, just like Canadians have easy access to America for slots. I would say Canadian athletes have easy access to over 400 slots. Japanese athletes have easy access to zero.

The huge majority of the world does not have "easy access" to an IM, and I don't think it matters whether there was one previously in any country or not. There are 2 on all of the entire South American continent, and 2 the African continent, and 2 on Asia.

Doesn't matter to me as KQ won't ever be part of my story, just stirring the pot here. But I am not convinced it's fair on what you wrote.

But (daydreaming) if I were Japanese and qualified, which slot to take is not even a discussion

Perhaps part of this is the legacy of Japan in the overall world IM circuit. It goes back to Dave Scott winning at IM Japan at Lake Biwa....all the original world IM series countries (Germany, Canada, Australia, NZ) are still represented into terms of an IM in their country. The only exception is Japan. Does Japan deserve preferential treatment over say Argentina, or Chile or Norway, or Holland, or Italy all of whom have been competing at tri since the 80's too but never hand their own IM? I don't know the formal answer of what that should be, but I would like something for Japanese athletes. Kona without a Japanese age group contingent would kind of be like Kona without Germans.

I disagree wholeheartedly with you. Noone will give South East Asians slots because IM langkawi is gone; I had thought that last year Cairns bonus was more to soften the blow of the cancellation of the IM race; continuing this practice is just plain favourism... also why Japanese nationals and not people living in Japan? How about region? This is the single Nationality being favoured.

I'd say it has a lot more to do with trying to sell out IM Canada than any throwback to history. North Americans clearly don't want a difficult course, and it's as easy or easier to market to Japan with direct flights than it is to the east coast I guess.

Personally I'd be surprised if IM Canada exists after 2017.

I agree that this is to sell more slots at Whistler, but they have some of commitment to the japanese athlete that they feel they need to honor due to no local Japan ironman. Maybe 70.3 Saipan is a test for IM Saipan

That really bums me out. My favorite race. It's a motherfucker of a course but it's beautiful

I hope they would keep the 70.3. I'm doing that this year.

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I don't think WTC have to honour the commitment of the Japanese athletes, but it is a nice touch to reward that country's commitment after WTC closed one of the original races (30 YO wasn't it?).

It's a shame it's gone.

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I agree, they don't HAVE to do anything. But nice that they will. It's especially going to have a more strong message given that Ironman is owned by Chinese masters and still supporting Japanese athletes. At a political and social level there is always this division between the countries going back to Manchuria and Nanjing before and right up to the end of WW2 even though at an individual level citizens may be friends (kind of like any of us in North America with personal Russian friends, but at a politcal level being divergent on ideology).

Dev

I think this is a sales strategy for Whistler and the Japanese market. And despite having many Japanese triathlon friends, I find this strategy unfair overall.

Japan needs to get its act in gear and get another IM event going if it wants to preserve its representation at Kona. Offering up slots to wealthy Japanese athletes who can travel to Australia/Canada and Kona (likely) dilutes the strength of the contingent and does very little to support Ironman in Japan over the long term.

The argument that Japanese do not have access to IM races is inaccurate. This year, both Korea and Taiwan are hosting Ironman events. (both qualify for 2018) These races are within 3 hours of Tokyo and a one hour time change.

I think it's simply unfair to a faster athlete who misses out on his/her Kona dream only to see a KQ awarded to a slower athlete simply because Ironman has failed to re-launch IM Japan. Slots are NEVER allocated based on one's nationality. I am a Canadian and have taken 2 slots at IM Taiwan. Does Canada owe 2 slots to Taiwanese athletes? No.

How can we reconcile a sport that is supposed to be an individual test, a sport in which drafting on a bike is a cardinal sin, with handing out slots to its most prestigious event on the basis of being the fastest from a single nation as opposed to all the athletes who chose to make their bid for the pier in Canada?

Ironman Maastrict. Yeah Holland

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Slots for ITU AG are given out by each NGB. So fast athletes are left at home all the time. Each country has the same number of slots execpt the host. They get a few more.


WTC is a business and if its in their financial interests to be unfair they will follow $$$.

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Apologies, totally forgot about Ironman Maastricht (I'm not an idiot and know where Maastricht is, I just momentarily forgot about this 2 year old race).

I do agree that slots should not be tied to nationality. It's no skin off my back if WTC chooses to give access to Kona to some Japanese athletes while the entire IM Japan situation is resolved. From what I see, they are not giving the full 40 slots to Japanese athletes, but only half which seems to be in line with the number that might place high enough to get slots at their local lM. Come think of it, as a Canadian, I have won two of my Kona slots in the USA and one in France. Never got a Kona slot in Canada.....so I totally see your point! In any case, in a country as rich and resourceful as Japan, it is a bit surprising that they can't pull together an IM Japan event. Hokkaido seemed doomed right out of the start with too tough a course and bad weather. By the way, are you racing the 70.3 in Taiwan in a few weeks? Also what do you know about the 70.3 in Saipan this coming weekend (I realize its not exactly next door, but it looks pretty cool). Edit: I just checked the distance and Taipei to Saipan is the same as NYC to Denver

So Japanese have about the same access to IMs as I do in Los Angeles, if I drive it's several more than 3 hours so the access is arguably better. If I fly it's still over 3 hours all in.

We had a full Ironman in Oceanside in years past in the "birthplace" of triathlon.

If there's anywhere where WTC should throw an "honoring triathlon" bone it's so cal. Where's my automatic spot?

They are giving it to some banker from Akasaka district in Tokyo who just booked his flights to Whistler !!!!

I am waiting for them to put on Ironman Okinawa or Ironman Ishigaki (this one will be next door to Darren in Taipei, but there will be a ton of laps on the 10K long island):

Perhaps part of this is the legacy of Japan in the overall world IM circuit. It goes back to Dave Scott winning at IM Japan at Lake Biwa....all the original world IM series countries (Germany, Canada, Australia, NZ) are still represented into terms of an IM in their country. The only exception is Japan. Does Japan deserve preferential treatment over say Argentina, or Chile or Norway, or Holland, or Italy all of whom have been competing at tri since the 80's too but never hand their own IM? I don't know the formal answer of what that should be, but I would like something for Japanese athletes. Kona without a Japanese age group contingent would kind of be like Kona without Germans.


Dev,


Back in the day when there was only the 5 International IM races, there was always a large contingent of Japanese triathetes who would come over to race Ironman Canada (Penticton) every year. A sizable enough group that they used to have a separate pre-race meeting for all the Japanese triathletes conducted in Japanese and that Race Announcer Steve King, would have a number of Japanese words/phrases he learned, to and greet and welcome Japanese races to the finish line!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

If it means more of this:



I'm all for it.

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Proud Member of Chris McDonald's 2018 Big Sexy Race Team "That which doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger"
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Hmmm, so I would like to know how they prove this? During registration, one can pick any country they like to 'represent' which allows for nationals of one country living in another or even naturalized citizens of a country who were born elsewhere to represent the country they want. Are they going to require Japanese citizenship papers?

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A passport from Japan will be required.

Passports have always been required when I earned my slots, even for Taiwanese athletes in Taiwan as local IDs use Chinese names. Mainly, it is to prevent slot fraud and verify the spelling of names. Obviously, each Japanese athletes will have their passports with them in Canada.

An Ironman in Okinawa in April/May would be an amazing amazing race and I'd sign up in a heartbeat.

I know that no one in Canada is losing slots, but the solution is to get a Japan race back in the calendar, not country specific slots. If WTC wants the cash, add 20 slots to IM Canada and let the best athletes earn them in my opinion. That's what they are doing to sell 70.3s in China and I think that's fine.

And yes, I'm doing IM Taiwan 70.3 ten days from now. I was going to go to Liu Zhou to support a friend who was aiming for Kona, but he broke his collarbone and can't race. LiuZhou is so difficult to get to it's not worth it to me. So will also do challenge Taiwan full end of April. I haven't heard too much about Saipan. I know Guy Crawford is racing there and Taiwan too.

Tim O'donnell is racing IM Taiwan, and the event is fully sold out...1700 for the 70.3 and I think 1200 for the 5150 the previous day. Also, the bike course is new and fully closed to all traffic. 2 loops...I'm curious to see how the second lap is going to go.....

On my fantasy race list cause my parents are dutch. Hup, Hup Holland.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

You should go!!!! It looks awesome!