A Mononofu Landmark From 2023 Runs Into Trouble

Fukuyama City in Hiroshima Prefecture announced on November 9 that the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) certification for Takegahana Sports Park Athletics Stadium, also known as Fukuyama Transport Rose Stadium, will expire at the end of December 2026.

The stadium hosted MCZ’s “Momoiro Clover Z Spring Event 2023 in Fukuyama City” on April 22 and 23, 2023.

It is the only officially certified athletics stadium in the city and has renewed its Class 2 certification every five years. This certification allows competitions held there, including high school meets, to produce officially recognized records.

Renewal requires repairs to the running track and replacement of the field turf. However, the city now expects that the necessary work will not be completed before the certification expires.

According to the city, the problem stems from an administrative oversight: the responsible department failed to include the necessary preliminary survey costs in the fiscal 2025 budget.

As a result, middle and high school district-level meets that require officially certified results will have to be held at more distant stadiums, such as those in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Kasaoka City in neighboring Okayama Prefecture.

The stadium also holds a special place for MCZ fans: some 23,000 Mononofu gathered there over the two days of the 2023 event. It is disappointing to see such news about a venue with so many fond memories.