The Xiamen International Marathon is hailed by the Chinese Athletics Association as the Gold Label Road Race. In 2018 more than 30,000 runners from 42 countries and regions takes part in the race. [Photo/xmnn.cn]
The Xiamen International Marathon was hailed by the Chinese Athletics Association as the Gold Label Road Race, according to a news conference held by the CAA in Xiamen, Fujian province on March 11.
The CAA also awarded the Xiamen (Haicang) International Half Marathon for having the Most Beautiful Track in China at the news conference.
The Haicang half marathon's race track boasts scenic views and runners can pass by the city's most picturesque sites and landmark buildings, including Blue Bay Square, Bell Tower, Xiamen Center and Haicang Bay Garden.
Xiamen will host the 321 Running Festival, co-launched by the CAA and Xiamen-based Xtep International Holdings Ltd, on March 21 which is expected to be attended by 10 Marathon champions from China, according to the news conference.
Statistics from CAA show that in 2018 a total of 1,581 marathons with more than 800 participants each were held in China and attracted more than 2.65 million runners from home and abroad.
China has decided to extend its visa waiver policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom starting from Feb 17.
Forty-one new port-of-entry duty-free shops have been established nationwide, with Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport, Xiamen Wutong Passenger Wharf, and Xiamen International Cruise Center included on the list.
