The China General Administration of Sport (CGAS) has released its plans for the marathon industry in China by 2020, aligning itself with nine other national authorities including the China National Tourism Administration and National Development and Reform Commission. 

Over the past several years, the marathon industry in China has experienced a rapid growth period and has attracted more and more people to take part. 

Given this, the 10 authorities expect the industry to generate a revenue of RMB 120bn by 2020, with 10 influential companies focusing on marathon race operations emerging within this period. The number of significant companies specializing in equipment and technology for marathon races is also expected to increase during this time.  

It is expected that by 2020, the number of marathon races in China will reach 1900 events with no less than 800 runners participating in each event and 350 of these events will be  authorized by the Chinese Athletics Association. 

By the same year, it is expected that over 10 million runners will take part in various marathon races, including over 10,000 international runners and over 10,000 star athletes competing.   

Source: southcn.com

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick