On the afternoon of August 25, 2019, the press conference for the 2019 “Agricultural Bank of China Cup” Jiuquan International Gobi Super Marathon was held at the Beijing Olympic Sports Center.
Mr. Wu Qinghua, Vice Mayor of Jiuquan Municipal People’s Government; Ms. Wang Yanhua, Deputy Director of Jiuquan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism; Mr. Ma Yancheng, Deputy General Manager of Agricultural Bank of China Jiuquan Branch; Mr. Yang Weidong, General Manager of the Corporate Banking Department of Agricultural Bank of China Jiuquan Branch; Mr. Bai Bin, General Manager of Shenzhen Bai Bin International Sports Culture Communication Co., Ltd.; Mr. Zhang Yu, Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen Bai Bin International Sports Culture Communication Co., Ltd., as well as numerous athlete representatives, corporate representatives, and media representatives, attended the event.
The press conference was hosted by renowned host Jiang Yi.
The Jiuquan International Gobi Super Marathon is one of the ten major outdoor sports brands developed by Jiuquan City. Since its inception in 2015, it has been successfully held four times. It has been rated as a Bronze Label Race by the Chinese Athletics Association and ranked among the Top 100 Most Sponsorship-Valuable Marathon Events in China, becoming a prestigious calling card for Jiuquan’s outdoor sports.
In his speech, Mr. Wu Qinghua, Vice Mayor of Jiuquan Municipal People’s Government, said that Jiuquan is located at the junction of Gansu, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia, and has since ancient times been a strategic gateway from the Central Plains to the Western Regions, Central Asia, and Europe. The area features natural wonders such as deserts, Gobi landscapes, yardangs, danxia landforms, and snow-capped mountains, making it an ideal destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, cross-country running, and exploration. Its long cultural history and profound humanistic heritage have also enriched the cultural connotations of Jiuquan’s sports tourism. In recent years, the Jiuquan municipal government has actively responded to the national “Culture+” strategy, adhering to the philosophy of “culture as the soul, sports as the vehicle, and tourism as the body,” vigorously promoting the integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism, and striving to build itself into the “Capital of Outdoor Sports in Western China.”
(Vice Mayor of Jiuquan Municipal People’s Government, Wu Qinghua)
On November 2, 2019, the 2019 “Agricultural Bank of China Cup” Jiuquan International Gobi Super Marathon, jointly organized by the Chinese Athletics Association and Jiuquan Municipal People’s Government, hosted by Jiuquan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism, operated and promoted by Shenzhen Bai Bin International Sports Culture Communication Co., Ltd., and sponsored by Agricultural Bank of China Jiuquan Branch, will be grandly held across the vast Gobi Desert.
At the press conference, Mr. Zhang Yu, Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen Bai Bin International Sports Culture Communication Co., Ltd., introduced that this edition of the event will focus on four aspects: high-standard event organization, diverse category settings, distinctive route design, and enriched supporting activities. Through standardized operations, the event aims to achieve high-end quality while providing more humanized services for participants.
(1) In terms of event organization, this edition of the marathon will strictly adhere to the standards and requirements of the Chinese Athletics Association, reflecting scientific rigor, refined humanity, and systematic standardization.
(2) Regarding category settings, the event will feature three competitive categories: 100 km, 50 km, and 5 km experience. Among them, the 5 km experience category is designed for the general public, aiming to attract more participants to experience the marathon and ignite a wave of “national fitness.”
(3) For route design, the starting point of the race is located at Jiuquan Municipal Square. Participants will run from the urban area of Jiuquan, through the wetland scenic boulevard, towards the vast Gobi Desert. This not only allows runners to gain a deeper understanding of Jiuquan’s history, culture, folklore, and specialty industries but also broadens the demographic reach of the event, encouraging more local citizens to take part in this sporting extravaganza.
(4) In terms of supporting activities, the event organizers will collaborate with various tourism resources in Jiuquan to actively develop event-related products. With the race as the core, they will integrate and arrange aspects such as food, accommodation, and transportation, providing more considerate and humanized services for participants.
(Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen Bai Bin International Sports Culture Communication Co., Ltd., Zhang Yu)
Subsequently, Mr. Bai Bin, Captain of China’s first Extreme Adventure National Team, China’s foremost endurance runner, winner of numerous domestic and international outdoor extreme races, and General Manager of Shenzhen Bai Bin International Sports Culture Communication Co., Ltd., shared with us how he infused his passion for sports into event operations.
Mr. Bai Bin began running in 2000 and has been a runner for 19 years. In 2011, he ran from Istanbul back to Xi’an, China, over 150 days and covered a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers. In 2019, after 433 days and running 24,000 kilometers, he ran from the South Pole to the North Pole, setting the record for the first human to complete such a journey. Starting in 2016, he has actively participated in and organized large-scale international and domestic outdoor sports events and cultural exchange activities, hoping to inspire more Chinese people—especially the younger generation—to dream big and achieve those dreams, while promoting the spirit of Chinese sports to the world with his daring and determined spirit.
Mr. Bai Bin stated that the Jiuquan International Gobi Super Marathon is not only a public sports service platform led by the Jiuquan Municipal Government but also a high-level representation of Chinese sports culture and spirit. In the future, it may become one of the most valuable events in China and even the world.
(General Manager of Shenzhen Bai Bin International Sports Culture Communication Co., Ltd., Bai Bin)
At the end of the press conference, leaders from Jiuquan Municipal People’s Government, Jiuquan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism, Agricultural Bank of China, and representatives from Shenzhen Bai Bin International Sports Culture Communication Co., Ltd. completed the signing ceremony. In the presence of numerous athlete representatives, corporate representatives, and media representatives, the registration for the 2019 “Agricultural Bank of China Cup” Jiuquan International Gobi Super Marathon was officially launched.
Sharing the same dream with the nation for 70 years, carrying forward the spirit of Chinese sports. Best wishes for the successful completion of the 2019 “Agricultural Bank of China Cup” Jiuquan International Gobi Super Marathon!
(Scan the QR code to enter the registration channel)