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Rescuers search for missing people at the Yellow River Stone Forest
tourist site in Jingtai County of Baiyin, Northwest China's Gansu
province, May 23, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua] Heavy casualties at a recent cross-country running event have hit
China's booming running industry with a painful alert as the governing
body calls for more prudent risk management and contingency plans at
future events. Twenty-one marathoners, including some of China's most elite runners,
died in extreme weather during an annual mountain ultramarathon, in
Baiyin, Gansu province, on Sunday. Another eight were hospitalized for
minor injuries, and the rest were rescued safe and sound. The tragedy came after a round of hail, freezing rain and high winds
caught 172 lightly dressed marathon runners off guard on Saturday as
they were racing across winding mountainous tracks in the central part
of Gansu. The General Administration of Sport of China (GASC) hosted an
emergency meeting on Sunday calling for better risk management, more
comprehensive contingency plans and a stronger sense of responsibility
for event organizers to prevent the reoccurrence of tragedies such as
this incident in Baiyin in the future. "Everyone should be aware of the seriousness and complexity of the
safety and risk management work in sports events, and we should know
there are still many problems to be solved," said Gou Zhongwen, director
of the GASC, during the Sunday meeting, according to the China Sports
Daily. "Sports events have always been a focus of our people and many
communities in society. Sports events are closely connected with
people's daily lives and they are a bridge to communicate with the
world. Any management mistakes could cause safety incidents and huge
losses." Gou said that different sports could have different types of risks.
Also the large number of participants would demand higher requirements
in safety management work. The ability of different organizers to ensure
the safety and quality of sports events is different. And
uncontrollable factors, such as the extreme weather in Baiyin, would
make the safety work more complicated. That's why the organizers should have stronger sense of responsibility and better contingency plans for all emergencies. "All levels of the sports administration have been working actively
in sports event safety work, and have created a stable environment for
sports development. However, with the further reform and development of
the sports industry, there are new requirements for supervisory work."
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