Advertising at the Keirin track
Keirin, meaning “racing wheels”, is a track cycling event that originated in Japan in 1948 and gained Olympic status at the 2000 Sydney games.
The sport was born from the aftermath of the second world war, when Japan’s economy was at an all time low and the country was recovering from the ravages of war.
In order to help regenerate local economies and to circulate money the government built numerous Keirin racing velodromes around the country.
The government also licensed the sport for gambling as a means of enticing more money out of it’s citizens to contribute towards Japan’s post-war reconstruction.
We headed out the the Tokyo Tachikawa Keirin Velodrome to see this popular gambling sport. It was much like a day out at the greyhounds. The riders were clad in brightly coloured jerseys and helmet covers, to make them identifiable to the punters, and the crowd was mainly composed of scruffy old men, desperate for a punt.
At the starting blocks
There were eleven races on the card, nine riders per race. Each race began with all nine riders parading to the starting blocks, bowing as they enter the track and again as they position their bikes for the start of the race.
We took our seats in the stand. Each seat had a dedicated panel that displayed the latest odds.
Seating at the Keirin
Dedicated betting screens
Keirin betting ring
Keirin race
Keirin is somewhat of an institution in Japan. Aspiring riders compete for entrance into the Japan Keirin School. Only 10 percent of applicants are accepted. Those who pass the graduation exams, after undergoing a strict, 15-hours per day, training regimen, become eligible for professional keirin races in Japan.
Here is a movie poster for a 1953 Japanese movie called Onna Keirin Oh (Woman Keirin King).
Onna Keirin Oh (Woman Keirin King)
Image credits:
- Wikipedia, At The Starting Blocks
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