Keirin
Keirin (of jap竞 轮, Keirin, dt "Bicycle Race ") is a discipline of track cycling. It is a native of Japan variant of the sprint; it is also referred to as the " fight or sprint."
History
Keirin was introduced in 1948 in Japan as a betting sport; the income from bets were thought at the time for reconstruction after the Second World War.
1980 Keirin was included in the program of UCI Track World Championships for men and since 2002 for women. Since 2000, Keirin is an Olympic cycling competition for men. At the 2012 Olympic Games medals were awarded in a Keirinwettbewerb for women for the first time.
Research, on the BBC in 2008 reported that the suspect suggest that the Japanese Keirin ( JKA ) Foundation Cycliste Internationale (UCI ) in the 1990s, the Union paid three million U.S. dollars for the inclusion of Keirin in the Olympic program.
Regulate
According to the rules of the UCI Keirinläufe are held usually with six drivers over a distance of about 2000 meters. During the first two thirds of the distance a pacemaker runs on a Derny ahead of the field and slowly accelerated to about 30 km / h to a speed of about 50 km / h After the pacemaker leaves the track, uses the actual final battle. Depending on the number of participants Keirin will be held in several tournament rounds. A predetermined number of participants reached in each case to the next round.
Keirin in Japan
In Japan also, the pacemaker used a road bike, per running start nine drivers. Even more body use is permitted as a race at the UCI. The drivers wear to protect against falls a plastic tank under their colorful jerseys.
Today in Japan every year around 15 billion euros will be implemented at 40 000 race and is used in Sports Betting resulting gains to support the domestic bicycle industry substantially. The races will take place on 50 racing tracks of the JKA with over 4000 professional drivers.
To avoid betting manipulations by influencing the driver, go to the driver during the competition phase in exam: They live in special hotel next to the Velodromen and may either physically or by phone have contact with the outside world. Until they get a driver's license, they must attend a ten -month " Keirin school" and pass an examination. Equipment and clothing are required. The drivers themselves are divided into a four-stage power system. Within the race the top class performance takes place annually in the spring, the so-called " International Keirin series " instead, be invited to the successful foreign racers. In order to adapt to the specific rules, even they must complete for two weeks, " Keirin School " with testing. With eleven participations of Belgian Michel Vaarten the foreigner with the most starts at the Japanese Keirin series. German starters were previously inter alia, Dieter Giebken, Michael Hübner, Sören Lausberg, Jan van Eijden, Jens Fiedler and Stefan Nimke.
The tenfold Japanese professional world champion in sprint Koichi Nakano won in the 1970s and 1980s for the home Keirin series several times in a row. Internationally, he never started, however, in the Keirin.
From 1949 to 1964 competitions for women were discharged at the Keirin in Japan. 2012 woman competition called Girl's Keirin was reintroduced. The women must, like men, undergo the Keirinschule. 2014, the German driver Miriam Welte was loaded alongside the Spaniard Helena Casas to participate.