Kyōtei

The nihongo|Kyōtei|競艇, literally "boat racing", is a hydroplane racing event primary held in Japan. It is one of Japan's four nihongo|"Public Sports"|公営競技|kōei kyōgi, which are sports events where parimutuel betting is legal.

Kyōtei was introduced in Japan in 1952. As of today, there are a total of 24 Kyōtei courses in Japan, and one in South Korea, where the sport is known as "gyeongjeong" (경정).

A Kyōtei race is conducted on man-made lakes with a 600-meter circular boat course. Six boats race three laps around the course (1,800 meters). Prior to the start of a race, competitors conduct a practice run around the course to ensure that their boats are functioning properly.

Kyōtei employs the "flying start" system of beginning races. Once the boats receive the signal to leave the docks, a large clock situated at the start line begins a one-minute countdown until the race begins. Boats take starting positions at the top of the straightaway based on their practice run, and at approximately 10-15 seconds before the clock reaches zero, the boats race up towards the start line at full speed. Boats must cross this line within one second after the clock reaches zero. If a boat crosses the line too early ("Flying Start") or crosses too late ("Late Start"), it is excluded from the race and bets on that boat are refunded. In a sense, the "flying start" system can be compared to the mobile start used in harness racing.

All the boats and engines are the same type, provided by Yamato Motors. Competitors are assigned an engine at random to use on their assigned boat, and can only tune the engines by themselves. The competitors are also allowed to bring their own propellers.

A unique aspect of the sport is the fact that women can compete as equally as men. As the weights of racers make an important difference in hydroplane racing, female racers, often lighter than their male counterparts, have certain advantages. Roughly 10% of Kyōtei racers are women. Do to the once common practice of excessive weight losses by racers, there currently is the minimum weight limit for racers and any racer running under this limit would have his or her boat loaded with weights. The current minimum weight is 50kg for men and 47kg for women.

ee also

*Gambling in Japan
*Nippon Foundation, which oversees the income from Kyotei.
*Hydroplane racing
*"Monkey Turn:" A manga by Katsutoshi Kawai, later adaptated into anime.
*"Kyōtei Shōjo:" A manga by Yasuhiro Koizumi.

External links

* en icon zh icon ko icon [http://www.kyotei.or.jp/ Kyōtei Official Web] , Japan.
* [http://www.motorboat-race.or.kr/ Motorboar Racing Association] , South Korea.
* ja icon [http://www.yamato-motor.co.jp/index.html Yamato Motor Co., Ltd..]