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 battle.
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.
Image source: Flickr
The sport has become a social 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.
Advertising at the track
I 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.
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.
Picking the winner of a Keirin race is a complicated matter; the punters have to examine the background of each rider who is participating in the race. Blood group, astrological sign and thigh measurements in addition to starting position and seasonal form are only some of the factors taken into consideration when placing a bet.
The race starts slowly, the riders jockeying for an advantageous position behind the pacemaker, who goes off the track after 3 laps and a bell rings opening the sprint. During the last two laps the pace rises, and the riders begin a furious battle, fighting to get into gaps, in the final sprint for the finish line.
Seating at the Keirin
Dedicated betting screens
Keirin betting ring
Keirin race
Postscript: Here is a movie poster for a 1956 Japanese movie called Onna Keirin Oh (Woman Keirin King).
Onna Keirin Oh (Woman Keirin King)
This is a submission to the September 2011 Japan Blog Matsuri hosted by A Modern Girl / モダンガール with the theme “Reasons to Visit Japan”
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Very cool! It makes sense once you understand what it is all about. The first time I saw it on TV when I arrived in Japan it was very strange. Keirin is very popular all over Japan.
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I agree. Difficult to understand at first but a very interesting sport once you get the hang of it. In some respects, reminds me a lot of greyhound racing.
Been here for years and didn’t know this ?
Thanks for the edjumacation
You made me look up “edumacation”! So thanks for the edumacation on edumacation.
There was a lot of talk at one point about the money (bribes?) the Japanese keirin organizers threw to the UCI, the global cycling sports organization, in the 1990s in exchange for UCI support to make keirin an Olympic event. It’s one of those sports that I don’t think belongs at the quadrennial games.
Hey Durf, thanks for dropping by. I read that the NJS paid $3M large to the UCI to support the inclusion of the sport onto the roster of the Olympic Games. Was it to raise the international profile of the sport to encourage more local participation? I mean, was the sport losing quality riders to other codes so they needed the ability to wave a gold medal carrot?
I agree with your sentiments with regards to keirin not belonging at the quadrennial games but then again BMX and Mountain Biking probably shouldn’t be Olympic sports either.
The results of the September Japan Blog Matsuri are now up! Check out your post and others at:
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Huh! I didn’t realize keirin history was so connected to post-war Japan.