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2003 Olympic Day Run

2004-03-30 10:01 COC

- China

    As part of the worldwide celebration of the Olympic Day, long distance running events were organized across China on June 22, 2003.

    As many as 20,000 people in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, and Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province, participated in the races officially run by the Chinese Olympic Committee.

    COC vice-presidents Li Zhijian, Zhang Faqiang and Wang Baoliang joined therunners respectively in these three cities.

    Also on June 22, a commemorative event was held in Qingdao, host city of the sailing competition for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, to mark the Olympic Day. Participants, grouped under the family category and the individual category, were required to finish a 10-kilometre walk within 2 hours along a seaside avenue in this port city in East China's Shandong Province.

    Since 1987 when the Chinese Olympic Committee organized the first run, a total of 2 million Chinese people have participated in this annual event.


- World
 
    The 2003 edition of the Olympic Day Run has been one of the biggest to date with well over one million participants from more than 160 countries worldwide.

    Once again, the event varied considerably from one country to the next, from the traditional 10km Olympic Day Run to the more recent development of an "Olympic Week".

    The Olympic Day Run in 2003 saw TOP partner McDonald's sign as the worldwide partner of the event. Many NOCs teamed up with McDonald's and received T-shirts, banners, balloons, as well as food and beverages from their local McDonald's restaurant. Ronald McDonald's attendance was a big hit with the kids. This exciting development with McDonald's aims to lift the profile of the Olympic Day Run and provide assistance to NOCs organising the event. McDonald's enthusiasm and commitment to the Run will be sure to increase the exposure of the event in the lead-up to the 2004 Athens Games.

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