China bans cheating Boston Marathon trio in latest scandal to hit sport on mainland
- 951 Chinese nationals take part in the Boston showpiece – 40 per cent more than last year
- Cheats have been banned for life
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Marathon running is growing fast in China but there have been numerous instances of cheating, including a woman who jumped on a bike in a recent domestic race and several others who took short-cuts.
In the latest cases, one entrant at Monday’s prestigious Boston Marathon gave his bib to someone else while two other Chinese participants presented forged certificates of previous races to gain entry, the Chinese Athletic Association (CAA) said.
“All the three runners were hit with a life ban from all road running races under the CAA,” said Xinhua news agency, citing the association.
“The CAA also reiterated that it will continue to crack down all kinds of cheats in marathons in order to build a healthy and clean environment of road running in China.”
The trio’s behaviour “had a negative impact on China in the (international) community”, said the CAA.
[The trio’s behaviour] had a negative impact on China in the (international) community
More than 900 runners from China took part in the 123rd Boston Marathon, Xinhua said.
In 2011 there were just 22 marathons, half-marathons or other running events in China, but that number rocketed to about 1,500 last year.
China is deploying facial-recognition technology as one way to clamp down.
