Aaj TV English News - Sports https://english.aaj.tv/ Aaj TV English en-Us Copyright 2026 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:36:57 +0500 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:36:57 +0500 60 Beijing marathon to return after two-year Covid hiatus https://english.aaj.tv/news/30300264/beijing-marathon-to-return-after-two-year-covid-hiatus <p><strong>BEIJING: Thousands of runners will line up for the Beijing marathon in November after a two-year Covid pause, organisers said, as sporting events gradually return to China.</strong></p> <p>The world’s most populous country has cancelled almost all international sports competitions since Covid emerged there in 2019, with the Beijing Winter Olympics in February this year a rare exception.</p> <p> <figure class='media sm:w-full w-full media--stretch '> <div class='media__item '><picture><img src='https://i.aaj.tv/large/2022/10/051332109129722.jpg' alt=' People wearing face masks cross a street in Beijing, following outbreaks of the coronavirus disease in China, October 25, 2021. Image via Reuters/File ' /></picture></div> <figcaption class='media__caption '>People wearing face masks cross a street in Beijing, following outbreaks of the coronavirus disease in China, October 25, 2021. Image via Reuters/File</figcaption> </figure></p> <p>Race organisers said on Tuesday that 30,000 runners would be able to take part in the 26-mile (42-kilometre) course through the capital on November 6 – but only Beijing residents can register.</p> <p>China is the last major economy wedded to a zero-Covid policy, stamping out virus flare-ups with snap shutdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines.</p> <p>The table tennis world team championships kicked off last Friday in the megacity of Chengdu, though participants must stay in a “closed loop”, and it was announced last week that China would host the season-ending World Tour Finals for badminton in December.</p> BEIJING: Thousands of runners will line up for the Beijing marathon in November after a two-year Covid pause, organisers said, as sporting events gradually return to China.

The world’s most populous country has cancelled almost all international sports competitions since Covid emerged there in 2019, with the Beijing Winter Olympics in February this year a rare exception.

People wearing face masks cross a street in Beijing, following outbreaks of the coronavirus disease in China, October 25, 2021. Image via Reuters/File
People wearing face masks cross a street in Beijing, following outbreaks of the coronavirus disease in China, October 25, 2021. Image via Reuters/File

Race organisers said on Tuesday that 30,000 runners would be able to take part in the 26-mile (42-kilometre) course through the capital on November 6 – but only Beijing residents can register.

China is the last major economy wedded to a zero-Covid policy, stamping out virus flare-ups with snap shutdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines.

The table tennis world team championships kicked off last Friday in the megacity of Chengdu, though participants must stay in a “closed loop”, and it was announced last week that China would host the season-ending World Tour Finals for badminton in December.

]]> Sports https://english.aaj.tv/news/30300264 Wed, 05 Oct 2022 13:42:24 +0500 none@none.com (AFP) Staff members gather at Tiananmen Square before the start of the annual Beijing Marathon in Beijing, China November 3, 2019. Image via Reuters/File