onsdag 26. mai 2021

China's Gansu race tragedy focuses scrutiny on lack of standards

The lack of safety standards in China's cross-country running world is under scrutiny in the aftermath of a deadly race in the country's northwestern Gansu Province, with at least 13 planned trail and road events now delayed and four canceled outright as of Tuesday.

Twenty-one runners died on Saturday when a 100-km, high-altitude foot race through the Yellow River Stone Forest tourist site was suddenly hit by rain, hail and freezing gales, prompting charges that inexperienced organizers had not prepared the runners for extreme weather. Several participants and rescue professionals told Caixin the event was poorly organized, with things like windproof running jackets removed from the list of compulsory gear for runners, leaving them vulnerable to abrupt weather changes.