STORY: World Athletics official hails China as contributor to marathon development
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 5, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 6, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:38
LOCATION: XIAMEN, China
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the expo
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ALESSIO PUNZI, World Athletics Road Running Manager
3. various of the promotion video of Xiamen marathon 2024
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ALESSIO PUNZI, World Athletics Road Running Manager

STORYLINE:

World Athletics Road Running Manager Alessio Punzi has hailed China as a great contributor to the world marathon development.

He made the remarks while attending the fifth China Marathon Expo in China's Xiamen.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ALESSIO PUNZI, World Athletics Road Running Manager
"The CAA (Chinese Athletics Association) has a certain job that controls all of that, creating regulations, creating guidelines on the practice for the harmonious development of the marathons. Certainly, the role that the sport of running plays in the Healthy China Policy, and the way in which is seen by the central government as well as the local government, are both very positive for the continued growth of the sport. It would really be important if more of the rest of the world organizers came here to see the Chinese way of organizing the marathons because it is second to none."

According to the Chinese Athletics Association, the year 2023 witnessed 580 official marathons in China with 5.5 million participants.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ALESSIO PUNZI, World Athletics Road Running Manager
"Alongside with the evolution, alongside with the development of running events comes to the development of the industry. We have seen in recent years especially in the past couple of years, that Chinese running companies, some of the biggest shoe manufacturers in this country are really taking a growing interest in running. There is more money coming in. There is more competition for top athletes. So there are a lot of resources coming into the sport and also from the standpoint of promoting competitive sport, this is certainly a very positive note." 

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Xiamen, China.
(XHTV)