The three-time consecutive Hakone Ekiden champion Aoyama Gakuin University (commonly known as 'Aogaku') is expected to update the sponsor name on its racing kit before next year's Hakone Ekiden, the ' Myoko City' that has long occupied the upper-right corner of the kit will be replaced by the brand logo of a new sponsor company.
Myoko City is a city in the Jōetsu region of Niigata Prefecture, and Aoyama Gakuin's track team has held training camps here since 2004. The Myoko Plateau sits at 600–1,300 meters above sea level and is a very ideal summer training location, so the two have a long-standing connection.
In 2021, at the 97th Hakone Ekiden, Myoko City's name began appearing on Aoyama Gakuin's race kit, at that time Myoko City provided Aoyama Gakuin with a cooperation fund of about 15 million yen (approximately RMB 630,000).
As Aoyama Gakuin University's commercial value continues to rise, logo placement on race kits has become a hot commodity. It is reported that Aoyama Gakuin recently signed a partnership agreement with a major corporation, and that company's logo will replace Myoko City's emblem. After the emblem is removed, Myoko City’s payment to Aoyama Gakuin for this fiscal year will be reduced to 5 million yen (approximately RMB 210,000).
This race kit bearing "Myoko City" has been a witness to Aoyama Gakuin's success and glory at the Hakone Ekiden over the years: nine titles in twelve years, one four-peat, and the recent three-peat — the ties between the two have been close. Therefore, Aoyama Gakuin and Myoko City are still negotiating, and aside from the race kits for next season's three major ekiden races, there is a possibility that Myoko City's emblem will continue to appear on everyday race kits and training wear, though the specific plan has yet to be finalized.
For Aoyama Gakuin, which is aiming for a fourth consecutive title, a season no longer featuring the Myoko City emblem next year signals a brand-new start. On the other hand, the Hakone Ekiden, dubbed Japan's "Spring Festival Gala," is continuing to raise its commercial value, and as the hottest team right now, Aoyama Gakuin is naturally a prime asset for major brands.
In May this year, Red Bull officially began sponsoring Aoyama Gakuin University's ekiden team. So, will Red Bull be the one to replace Myoko City? What if it's Gaochi or Shokz (just guessing)?
