'Mask show' at Beijing Marathon prompts calls for smog warning system  

雾霾连袭北京多项赛事 专家呼吁建赛事气象预警

梅西、内马尔等世界一流球员在“鸟巢”遭遇雾霾袭击的一幕过去还不到十天，作为国际田联金标路跑赛事之一的北京马拉松赛又在19日遭遇雾霾天气。重度污染天气已在金秋十月连续袭击了中网、环北京职业公路自行车赛、南美超级德比杯以及北京马拉松赛等多项顶级国际赛事。多个体育营销专家呼吁建立体育赛事的气象灾害预警制。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- Sports marketing insiders have called for a weather warning system for sports events in China after the Beijing Marathon took place in heavy smog on Sunday.

Thousands of runners battled thick smog at the marathon, with some athletes donning masks as air pollution soared to 13 times the maximum recommended level. Some runners reportedly cancelled altogether.

Yao Zhenyan, vice president of Oceans Marketing, a sports marketing firm in Beijing, questioned why there are no measures to handle sports events when heavy pollution occurs.

The Beijing Marathon's organizers said in a post on Sina Weibo that it would have been "very difficult" to postpone the race, as "46 percent of the athletes are from other countries or regions outside Beijing."

Organizing an international sporting event involves many factors, and there are legal issues connected to postponement, explained Zhang Zhenpeng, the organizer of the Americas' Super Derby and general manager of Beijing-based Inter Sports.

After running the Beijing Marathon, Zhang said he hoped the city government would issue a weather warning system to avoid harming people's health.