"Quid non mortalia pectora cogis, auri sacra fames!" - Virgil
On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 12:16:44 -0800, "Tom Nakashima"
<
[email protected]> wrote:
>Keirin Racing have been popular in Japan for some time now, just wondering why it hasn't caught on
>in the U.S.? Is it a gambling issue?
The answer is unusually sensitive to what you mean by "keirin racing".
Keirin, the event, has become quite popular for both athletes and spectators in amateur and Olympic
track racing programs (added as a medal event in the 2000 Games). Take six to nine of your best
sprinters, pace them up to speed for a few laps and then turn them loose for the last 600 meters or
so. What's not to like?
Perhaps you're referring to the pari-mutuel aspect of professional Keirin as found in Japan,
however. If yes, consider the daunting prospect of creating the infrastructure of expensive, event-
specific venues (velodromes) and rider development for an audience in the US that generally hasn't
been interested in bike racing since the Great Depression.
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http://www.businesscycles.com Now in our twenty-first
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