As the New Year begins, everything takes on a fresh look. At 9:00 AM on January 1, 2012, with the starting gun fired by Wang Xiulin, Vice Mayor of Qingdao City, nearly ten thousand participants in the 2012 "Sports Lottery Cup" Cross-Country Race and New Year Health Run set off from the square in front of the municipal government, running to welcome the arrival of 2012.
This year’s "Sports Lottery Cup" Cross-Country Race featured six categories, covering three distances—7 km, 8 km, and 10 km—awarding material prizes to the top 20 finishers in each category. Compared to previous years, this year’s cross-country race saw new changes: the lead vehicle switched from a motorcycle to a bicycle. This not only reflects an innovation in the event itself but also promotes environmental protection and sportsmanship, with the hope of encouraging more citizens to join in the national fitness movement and contribute to the city’s environmental efforts. Additionally, over 10,000 people participated in the New Year Health Run, including municipal Party and government leaders, employees of enterprises and public institutions, government officials, military personnel, students, new residents, foreign friends, sports celebrities, and community members. Everyone chose to run on New Year’s Day to embrace the hopeful new year.
It is understood that the New Year Cross-Country Race and the Ten-Thousand-People Health Run, as the first mass sports event of the year in Qingdao, are widely loved by all sectors of society and the general public, and have become a signature activity of the city’s national fitness campaign. Meanwhile, these events are also an important part of the Sports Lottery Public Welfare Fund’s support for national fitness initiatives. Over the years, supporting the development of national fitness has been a primary focus of the Sports Lottery Public Welfare Fund. Major group activities in Qingdao such as the New Year Cross-Country Race, the Ten-Thousand-People Cross-Bay Swim in Huiquan Bay, the Sports Games, and the Senior Citizens’ Sports Meet are all large-scale public events held with the support of the Sports Lottery Public Welfare Fund.