China's top athletic authorities on Thursday issued a regulation on the organization of marathon, prohibiting any form of ceremonies that may interrupt the competition and affect the fairness of the game.
The regulation issued by Chinese Athletic Association (CAA) requires all marathon organizers to obey relevant principles and guarantee the race to be held without interruption by any events.
Content and form of activities promoting the race must be approved by CAA in advance. Detailed plans should be made to address potential risks, read the regulation.
The regulation comes after an incident happened during the Suzhou Taihu Marathon on Sunday.
Organizer and promoter of the race in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, asked volunteers to pass a national flag to Chinese runner He Yinli in the final sprint phase. She was distracted and lost the possible gold medal.
The organizer argued the passing of national flags was to welcome Chinese runners while most netizens challenged the arrangement was just to attract attention to her hitting the finish line, which was unprofessional and went counter with sports spirit.
