Previous edition of the Piracicaba International Marathon — Photo: Piracicaba City Hall
The organization of the Piracicaba International Marathon (SP) already had flaws even before it was suspended by the city hall shortly before the start, on August 30th. This is what physical educator Verônica Fraga, who advises ten students who would participate in the race, told g1.
The Department of Sports, Leisure and Motor Activities reported that the suspension occurred after technical analyzes highlighted irregularities on the route that could lead to the risk of accidents for athletes.
"We saw that it was an event that was leaving something to be desired. Since when it started announcing the race, there was no place where the route was. You went to the website where the registrations were, there was no route. There was the regulation, but there was nothing about the route. We asked for information, people didn't respond to the messages we sent", says Fraga.
In total, athletes from four countries and 190 cities were confirmed in the competition, which had started on Saturday (29) with the children's race and the five and ten kilometer races. The following day, the 21 and 42 kilometer stages would take place. Both were suspended.
Athlete Jaqueline Martins Cipriano would participate in the marathon and highlighted her frustration at the suspension.
Athlete Jaqueline Martins Cipriano would participate in the Piracicaba International Marathon — Photo: Personal archive
"This race was in my preparation cycle for the next marathon. So it's a frustration. What we do is replan and show great solidarity because I was following several athlete friends who were going to make their debut in the marathon and half marathon, so, for me, it's more the problem of replanning, but, with my friends who were going to make their debut, it's disappointment, it's frustration", he says.
Cipriano also reinforced the lack of prior information about the route of the race.
"All my friends who were trying to look for route information there, information about hydration points, hydration points, bathrooms, which are things that are relevant to whoever is going. There was no response, there was no type of response from the organization."
William Cordeiro, who would also act, observed a change in the organization of traffic in relation to other races he participated in.
"Normally, when you arrive at the test, an hour before, everything is already closed. So, traffic is closed, sometimes you want to stop in one place, you have to go around the city to stop at the place you determine. And there was traffic moving normally", he pointed out.
Suspension shortly before the start
According to the Sports Secretariat, the following irregularities were identified:
Absence or deficiency in the implementation of interdictions;
Lack of signage and channeling devices at designated points;
Absence of support teams (staff) that should be positioned along the route.
Also according to the ministry, the organization of the event was notified to take the necessary measures to regularize the situation, but the flaws were not corrected.
The city hall also highlighted that the holding of street races promoted by companies or private entities is the responsibility of the event organizer. The city hall acts in analysis, authorization and institutional or operational support.
"The Administration also regrets the inconvenience caused to participants and the population, but reinforces that people's safety is a priority and must prevail over the holding of any event", he stated.
What do the organizers say?
Grecia Produções e Eventos, responsible for organizing the race, said that negotiations are being carried out to define whether there will be a new date for the race and that, only after this definition, it will be possible to establish the procedures related to registrations and possible returns.
The company informed that it previously communicated information about the event to society, using banners and signaling materials installed on the roads.
He also mentioned that the closure of the roads was authorized by the competent traffic authority to occur only 30 minutes before the start, at 3:30 am.
"It is also important to clarify that, in a street race, there are different types of road operations. Some roads are shared between athletes and vehicles, with the use of cones, trestles, railings and lanes to guarantee safety and organization of the route. Others are closed exclusively for the circulation of athletes", he added.
The São Paulo Athletics Federation (FPA), in turn, guaranteed that the competition was with all technical organizations in line with the best street racing practices carried out in the state of São Paulo and informed that it is monitoring the situation to provide the necessary support to resolve the case.
"The São Paulo Athletics Federation made contact with the company organizing the event and will also do so with the Piracicaba City Hall, to fully investigate the facts and understand, in detail, all the administrative and technical reasons that led to the event being embargoed, and provide support for an adequate solution to the case", he added.
