On 12 August 2020, SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov received Zhang Qin, Executive Director of Yunnan Shanghe Culture and Sports.
Ms Zhang Qin handed the Secretary-General a World Athletics certificate on awarding the silver label to the SCO Kunming Marathon. She told him about the preparations for the 5th marathon which is to be held in December 2020. The format and scale of the event will depend on the epidemiological situation in China. Consideration is being given to the possibility of holding the marathon in several Chinese cities with a small number of participants (Chinese nationals and foreign nationals permanently residing in China). At the moment, consultations are being held with China's relevant sports agencies.
The SCO Secretary-General emphasised that while planning the event, regardless of the scale, special attention should be paid to ensuring the safety of participants.
He noted that the coronavirus pandemic showed the importance of a healthy lifestyle and of strengthening the herd immunity of the population. In this regard, it is becoming increasingly important to promote and hold sports events like the SCO marathons, which bring together over 20,000 people from all over the world every year.
According to Vladimir Norov, the decision of World Athletics to award the Kunming Marathon a silver label proves the potential of the marathon, as well as its popularity and compliance with international standards.
He also praised the efforts of Yunnan Shanghe Culture and Sport in successfully holding SCO marathons for the past four years as well as other cultural and mass events of the SCO Secretariat. He stressed the importance of holding a series of cultural and humanitarian events to mark the 20th anniversary of the SCO in 2021.
Ms Zhang Qi said that the necessary work was being carried out to arrange events such as art shows, film festivals, student football matches, boxing tournaments and others, taking into account their relevance and popularity.
The SCO Secretary-General noted that the SCO was created in Shanghai, and in this connection it seemed important to organise concrete events to mark the 20th anniversary of the SCO in this city. He also suggested establishing a cultural and economic centre of the SCO in Shanghai in the future.
Ms Zhang Qi confirmed readiness to assist the implementation of the SCO
Secretariat's plans in connection with celebrating the SCO's 20th anniversary.
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), awards marathons, half-marathons and 20, 10, 12, 15 km and 10 mile races bronze, silver and gold labels.
To receive a status, the marathon must comply with a number of criteria:
̶ Participation of elite athletes, that is, racers with results surpassing the IAAF standards, from four countries for the bronze label and five countries for the silver and gold labels
- The route needs to be free of all traffic
- Minimal impact on the environment
- Electronic recording of results
- Distance is measured in accordance with the AIMS rules Association of International Marathons and Distance Races
- Awards are distributed equally regardless of gender or nationality
- Doping control is obligatory.