OMRON Corporation (HQ: Shimogyo-Ku, Kyoto, President and CEO: Junta Tsujinaga) announced today that it is the Platinum Partner for the 43rd Oita International Wheelchair Marathon to be held on Sunday, November 17, 2024.

The Oita International Wheelchair Marathon was the first international race to be held exclusively for people with disabilities. Since the 27th event, it has been officially recognized by the International Paralympic Committee and is now the world's premier race for wheelchair runners from all over the world. OMRON Taiyo Corporation (a special subsidiary of OMRON Corporation where people with and without disabilities work together) is located in Oita Prefecture, the host prefecture of the Games. OMRON has been a sponsor of the event every year since 1988.

This year, a total of 223 athletes have entered the event, including 165 athletes from 31 prefectures across Japan and 58 from 13 foreign countries and regions. Athletes are divided into three classes (T51, T33/52, and T34/53/54) according to the degree of disability for both full and half marathons. The runners will start from in front of the Oita Prefectural Government Office, run along Prefectural Road No. 22, close to Beppu Bay, and back to reach the goal at J-Lease Stadium. The competition will be broadcast live on Oita Broadcasting System and BS-TBS.

On the day of the event, six OMRON employees will compete as athletes, and 35 employees will volunteer to help run the event. In addition, the fastest male and female finishers in the full and half marathons, respectively, will receive trophies and blood pressure monitors as awards from OMRON.

On Saturday, November 16, the day before the marathon, the opening ceremony and a pre-event entitled "Toward an Inclusive Society with a Free and Playful Spirit" will be held at the Galleria Takemachi shopping arcade in Oita City, organized by the "Company Association of Sun Industries" of which OMRON Taiyo Corporation is a member. This pre-event will feature "Yuru Sports," a new sport that anyone can enjoy regardless of age or sex, disability or not, and "Yuru Music," where everyone can enjoy the joy of playing a musical instrument "Yuru" in a relaxed manner. The event will also feature "Yuru Music," where everyone can experience the joy of playing a musical instrument in a "relaxed" manner, as well as talk sessions aimed at the realization of a symbiotic society. For more details, please see this page (Japanese only).

OMRON will continue to contribute to the realization of a "symbiotic society" where no one is left behind through its sponsorship of this event and daily activities.

＜Links＞
・The 43th Oita International Wheelchair Marathon
https://kurumaisu-marathon.com/english/

・Talent Attraction | Social | Sustainability | About OMRON | OMRON Global
https://www.omron.com/global/en/sustainability/social/talent-attraction/

・Companies and Communities Joining Hands to Shape the Future. OMRON Employees the World Over Resolving Social Issues through Volunteer Activities | OMRON EDGE&LINK Discover the future
https://www.omron.com/global/en/edge-link/news/1420.html

OMRON sponsors the 43rd Oita International Wheelchair Marathon