A reception in Kunming for SCO Marathon 2019 participants and guests, given by the SCO Secretary-General

On 1 December 2019, the International Ambassador Hotel in Kunming was the venue of a reception given in honour of 300 SCO Marathon 2019 participants and guests.

SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov addressed people at the reception and thanked all the participants, expressing confidence that the Kunming Marathon would continue to achieve high standards, and it would promote rapprochement between masses of people belonging to different generations, ethnic groups, cultures or civilisations, and it would also bolster the image of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and Shanghai Spirit.

"Today, we can say with absolute certainty that Kunming has brilliantly performed the honourable mission of holding yet another SCO Marathon and created ideal conditions so that every guest felt welcome," Mr Norov stressed.

He expressed his most sincere thanks to the Organising Committee, the provincial and city authorities of the Yunnan Province and the city of Kunming, the China National Track and Field Association, and all Kunming residents for actively helping to organise the event.

He also thanked the judges, the local security services, doctors, and the close-knit team of volunteers.

Special thanks went to Ms Zhang Qi, Executive Director of the Yunnan Shanghe Culture and Sports Company, and her team for the huge amount of work they had put in to prepare and hold the 4th Kunming SCO Marathon. He stressed that as the exclusive partner of the SCO Secretariat, Yunnan Shanghe had helped to organise a number of major events in 2019.

Mr Norov announced that the 5th SCO Marathon would take place in Kunming on 6 December 2020.

Ms Li Maling, Deputy Governor of the Yunnan Province and head of the Organising Committee, speaking at the reception said that each year the SCO Marathon held in Kunming, the City of Eternal Spring, was attended by numerous sports lovers. The overall number of participants between 2016 and 2019 reached 100,000. She said that she was satisfied with the

results of the marathon: Bronze License of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and high praise from the SCO heads of state, reflected in the Joint Declaration of the SCO Bishkek Summit held in June 2019.

The Marathon received extensive media coverage, with the sports channel of China's CCTV 5 broadcasting it live from beginning till end.

During the event, twin relations were established between the Kunming SCO Marathon and the Issyk Kul SCO Marathon.

Apart from this, IAAF expert William Norrison handed SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov the Bronze License (awarded the Kunming Marathon in July 2019).