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

霧霾連襲北京多項賽事 專家呼吁建賽事氣象預警

梅西、內馬爾等世界一流球員在“鳥巢”遭遇霧霾襲擊的一幕過去還不到十天，作為國際田聯金標路跑賽事之一的北京馬拉松賽又在19日遭遇霧霾天氣。重度污染天氣已在金秋十月連續襲擊了中網、環北京職業公路自行車賽、南美超級德比杯以及北京馬拉松賽等多項頂級國際賽事。多個體育營銷專家呼吁建立體育賽事的氣象災害預警制。[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.