Why are foreigners banned from the Pyongyang Marathon?
No matter how much you've trained, if you're not from North Korea, you won't be running in this year鈥檚 Pyongyang Marathon.
The North Korean government has officially banned foreigners from racing in the annual marathon, citing concerns of an outbreak of Ebola.
The marathon, scheduled for April 12, is a , reports the BBC,聽but strict ongoing travel bans put in place by the government in October have all but closed North Korea鈥檚 borders to outsiders. 聽聽
The announcement was made via a Beijing-based tour company that was slated to bring some 500 foreigners to race in the marathon. The company had been , which included the marathon to curious travelers and runners starting at $899 with the price running as high as $2,000,聽according to Reuters.
"Our North Korean partners in Pyongyang contacted us this morning with news that the 2015 Pyongyang Marathon has 鈥� as of today 鈥� been closed to amateur and professional foreign runners," Koryo Tours Director Nick Bonner, told Reuters in an emailed statement.
This was later confirmed by , another Chinese tour company that brings travelers to the Hermit Kingdom, offering excursions to the DMZ, the Masikryong ski resort, the remote northeast of the country, and the a special economic zone of聽Rason.
鈥淭his morning we were able to confirm the Pyongyang Marathon (also known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon) has been cancelled for tourists to participate in the 2015 event due to the current Ebola restrictions placed on foreigners entering the DPRK (North Korea) which interfered with preparations for the marathon event,鈥� Young Pioneer Tours聽.
According to the Guardian, the isolated country has to foreign tourists and has forced aid workers and diplomats to wait out a 21-day quarantine period as condition for being admitted into the country. Once inside, the government has mandated these individuals remain confined to their respective embassy compounds, according to the report.
There聽have been no publicly confirmed cases of Ebola in North Korea, or anywhere else in Asia, for that matter.聽
North Korea has hosted an in most years since 1981, according to the Guardian. Over competed in last year鈥檚 marathon, according to the BBC.
The North Korean government also canceled the 鈥溾�� this year where athletes in school children participate in large-scale choreographed displays but no reason was cited by the authorities, according to Reuters. 聽
