FUKUOKA—Like their male counterparts, women in the keirin bicycle racing circuit must endure grueling training sessions and risk broken bones and other serious injuries in the fierce, gravity-defying competitions.

But unlike the men, the female racers have been required to perform certain other activities to promote the sport, including acting like “sweet” girls from pop idol groups.

Thankfully for the cyclists, the Japan Keirin Autorace Foundation (JKA) is revamping its approach to Girls Keirin, the women’s event that started 11 years ago.

Instead of focusing on the women’s physical appearances, the JKA has started emphasizing their strength, athleticism and professionalism to advertise the sport.

“If (our female racers) are recognized broadly as athletes, it will help to revitalize the sport across the board,” a JKA official said.

The reform comes amid the global trend to fight sexism and hold companies and organizations responsible for ensuring gender equality, JKA officials said.

Female cyclists had requested improvements in the racing system and other aspects so that Girls Keirin would be operated in the same manner as the men’s keirin.

OLYMPIC SPORT

In a keirin race, a lineup of nine male or seven female cyclists race around the banked tracks of a velodrome over distances ranging from roughly 1,500 to 2,000 meters. Keirin became an official Olympic event at the 2000 Sydney Games.

At keirin events in Japan, betting by the fans is a common occurrence, as are accidents and injuries on the tracks.

Girls Keirin currently has 175 racers, up from only 33 in the inaugural year of 2012.

The popularity has also risen for Girls Keirin, which earned about 50 billion yen ($388 million) in proceeds in 2021.

But it has taken years for the JKA to shift its PR focus from the women’s bodies and appearances.

The Industrial Structure Council, an advisory panel to the industry minister, pointed out last year the inappropriateness of a slogan for Girls Keirin that had been used since its inception.

It read, “Thighs matter more than the look.”

The council’s criticism helped to push the reforms.

The base color of female racing uniforms was changed this year from florid pink to black to emphasize strength.

A TV commercial that has been aired since late last year targets young people and stresses that Girls Keirin is a serious sport.

The JKA also plans to hold more tournaments in which the winner qualifies to compete in the Girls Grand Prix, the highest-ranking event held annually at year-end.

‘PAIN IN THE NECK’

Yumika Noguchi, a member of the Oita prefectural chapter of the Japan Professional Cyclist Union, was among the first group of racers to compete in Girls Keirin.

“I really hated the way we were treated like pop idols,” Noguchi, 30, said of the early years. “That was, quite frankly, a pain in the neck.”

She spent so much time training to succeed in a world where those who perform poorly are simply shown the door.

When she finally debuted, however, she found she had duties off the tracks.

For example, Noguchi and other female competitors were deployed to entrances of velodromes to greet visitors and call out, at the top of their voices: “We need your support.”

During a talk show, Noguchi was asked to discuss her private life, including what she did on her days off. Male audience members cheered after her responses, saying, “How sweet.”

A male keirin cyclist once told her, “You are mistaking yourself as a pop idol.”

Noguchi never had any intention of doing such a thing.

“I want to be strong, not ‘sweet,’” she said she thought at the time.

Noguchi jointly trained with her male colleagues. She pedaled her bicycle about eight hours a day and had only one day off a week.

In February 2021, she achieved her long-cherished dream of winning her first tournament, at the Kokura Velodrome.

The level of competition has been rising every year.

Several years ago, female cyclists usually finished the final 200 meters of a race in just under 13 seconds, but quite a few of them now complete that lap in under 12 seconds.

Noguchi is also encouraged by another difference.

When she debuted, she usually heard only cheers from the stands. Now, she is often heckled from fans yelling, “Give back my money!”

“The jeers rather make me happy because I know those hecklers have bought slips to bet on me and are watching the race in the same way they would for a men’s race,” Noguchi said.

Keirin originated in Japan in 1948. Races for women began in 1949 but they were discontinued 15 years later because of low popularity.

After half a century, Girls Keirin in 2012 revived the women’s events.

Some JKA officials questioned the wisdom of resuming a sport that had flopped in the past. That pressure led in part to the association’s “pop idol” campaign to popularize Girls Keirin, sources said.

“There is no longer a need to show us like pop idols,” said Aoi Kodama, a 27-year-old racer with the JPCU’s Fukuoka prefectural chapter, who has  consistently been among the top money-winners in recent years. “I want to be a dream athlete for children to bring more people in our sport.”