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Having begun in 1981, the International Year of the Disabled, as the world’s first marathon event only for wheelchair users, the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon, officially sanctioned by World Para Athletics, has grown and developed to become the world’s greatest race in both name and reality with a total of 11,986 wheelchair athletes from both inside and outside Japan, and with new world records being set here in the T51 class last year and the T34/53/54 class two years ago.

Last year, despite not being fully recovered from the effects of the coronavirus, after three years we were finally able to return to the regular shape of the “Oita International Wheelchair Marathon”, with general entrants from abroad among the participants.

On the day of the event, the weather we had been worried about cleared up, and the race started with 25 athletes from 12 countries and 133 athletes from 30 prefectures in Japan for a total of 158 participants. In the most severe disability class of T51, Pieter du Preez broke the world record of 27 years with a fantastic performance, and all the participants put on a fast race under excellent conditions.

At the 42nd race this year, having overcome the long and hard coronavirus pandemic, I hope we will once again be able to strongly convey to the world the excitement and impressiveness of Oita, together with the local people, the volunteers, and everyone involved in this event.

The main character of the 42nd Oita International Wheelchair Marathon, aiming for the world’s apex, is you.

This autumn in Oita, the birthplace of parasports in Japan, many people are looking forward to meeting you!