Race organisers of deadly 2021 ultramarathon in northwestern China sentenced to jail
- Five employees of companies overseeing Gansu province event in which 21 runners died handed prison terms ranging between 3 and 5½ years
- Poor preparations and supervision cited in China’s worst-ever accident involving outdoor sports
A court in Baiyin in the northwestern province of Gansu found five employees from two companies guilty of “causing [a] serious security incident in a large-scale mass event”.
A separate court in Lanzhou also convicted two government officials of negligence. Ding Keya, management committee director of the national park where the deaths occurred, was charged with taking bribes and sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison in addition to a fine. His deputy, Luo Wentao, was sentenced to 3½ years.
The incident on May 22, 2021, was the country’s worst disaster in outdoor sport.
The 172 participants in the 100km (62-mile) race set off from the Yellow River Stone Forest in Baiyun in the morning when a storm suddenly hit the surrounding Jingtai county.
Many of the runners were dressed only in shorts and running tops, leaving them exposed to a sudden drop in temperature, coupled with gales, hail and freezing rain in the remote mountainous area.
When search-and-rescue efforts ended the next day, 21 runners were found dead. Of the 151 who were rescued, eight suffered minor injuries. And some of the country’s top cross-country runners were among the casualties.
