Marathons Postponed for Some Reasons
As the Diaoyu /Senkaku Islands dispute continues, runners in Shanghai are feeling the heat. On Sept 11, the Shanghai government decided to postpone the Shanghai International Marathon, a sporting event that Torey, a Japanese chemical firm, has been sponsoring for the past 16 years.
The local government may think by having a Japanese title sponsor, the marathon would not serve China’s national interest and wouldn’t make themselves look good in their positions jockeying before 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
Earlier this month, the Beijing Marathon was also postponed due to the fact that the no-one-knows-exactly-when 18th Congress is coming.
Related:
- Shanghaied Weblog: Sports And Politics Don’t Go Together In China
- The Global Times: Confrontation will be huge mistake for Japan