(ECNS) – Jogging has become a new fad in China, with a market that has reached 30 billion yuan ($4.63 billion) and continues to expand, the Beijing News reported on Monday.
This year, the number of marathon events registered with the Chinese Athletic Association reached 116, more than doubling last year's 53, while the figure was only 22 in 2011, according to statistics released by the association on November 30.
More than 10 of the marathons have been aired on Chinese Central Television, gaining a total of 3.8 billion views and covering 300 million viewers, with view times being at least five minutes each, according to a report by CSM Media Research.
Marathon organizers have unveiled plans for the coming year, with 38 already approved by the athletic association.
Shi Chunjian, a marathon organizer as well as a jogger herself, said many joggers wanted to keep fit through jogging, and then discovered that jogging is also a good way of social networking. She attributed the fast growth of the sport in China to the development of social media, such as the popular WeChat, and sports apps. The government's encouragement and financial support also played a role, she added.
Last year, the number of Chinese marathon participants fell short of 800,000, while it surged to 2 million in 2015, according to the report.
The top three marathon events in China -- those in Beijing, Xiamen and Shanghai -- have won endorsements from the International Association of Athletics Federations as well as Chinese netizens, the report said.
However, Wang Dawei, deputy head of the Chinese Athletic Association, said China still has a long way to go to catch up with some of the world's top marathons.
