Japan hosts wheeled office chair races in Kyōtanabe

On March 29, the city of Kyōtanabe in Kyoto Prefecture hosted an unusual competition—races on wheeled office chairs.

The first race took place in Kyoto in 2009, organised by Tsuyoshi Tahara, who wanted to create a sport using everyday objects. Since then, the ISU-1 Grand Prix has been held in different cities across Japan, with office workers as the main participants.

Teams of three compete on standard chairs along a specially designed course on closed streets. The race lasts two hours, and the winning team covers the greatest distance. The prize is 90 kilograms of rice.

Organisers note that the competition closely resembles serious motorsports like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Formula 1, featuring a marked track, pilot changes, time limits, and team strategies.