Use a lining to run for you? Forget the idea in China: the organizers of a marathon will use Sunday facial recognition to hunt down the fraudsters, announced a state media after a scandal. Running competitions are gaining popularity in the Asian country, with often passionate participants wearing the latest fashion equipment.
Events that also attract cheaters: the organizers of a half-marathon last weekend in Shenzhen (south) discovered that 258 runners cheated, including shortcuts.
Impunity could now stop
At the Kunming (southwest) marathon, which will be held on Sunday and is expected to attract 6,000 runners, organizers will use face recognition to avoid fraud. "The participants will have to bring a valid identity document and submit to a verification by a system of facial recognition , " said the official news agency China New. She found the cheating case in Shenzhen "shameful" .
The illusion of a healthy life
Many netizens in China blame the marathon's fashion for driving excess. Some participants would not train or would not, but would simply like to post their photo on social networks, to make their employer or friends believe that they lead a healthy life.
China is a pioneer in the use of facial recognition, from food ordering in fast food outlets to boarding planes, looking for delinquents and criminals.