Chinanews client, Beijing, May 25th (Reporter Wang Yu) It has been a few days since 21 living lives have unfortunately disappeared in the mountain cross-country race held in Baiyin, Gansu, but this tragedy has caused the domestic cross-country running circle and even the whole country. The shock and reflection brought about by the sports industry are still continuing.
This can be called one of the most tragic events in the history of Chinese sports.
172 people participated in the competition, and more than 10% of the players were killed, including a number of top players in domestic cross-country competitions... The information continued to spread, which continued to add sadness to this tragedy.
The start of the game.
Image source: Baiyin Daily
Judging from the current situation, the extreme weather caused the temperature to drop sharply, causing the players to lose temperature, lose contact, and unfortunately died.
This is a public safety incident that occurred due to a sudden change in weather in a local area.
However, the word "natural disaster" can hardly offset the doubts of the outside world: Does the level of competition operators meet the standards?
Are there loopholes in the protection and execution of the event?
Is the event supervision system in place and due diligence?
There are many questions and it is worth investigating step by step. The lesson of blood is also a wake-up call for regulating domestic competitions.
In some regions, the curtain on rectifying the events has been opened since the 24th.
On the evening of the 23rd, the General Office of the General Administration of Sport of the People's Republic of China urgently convened a working meeting on strengthening the safety management of sports events across the country.
Gou Zhongwen, director of the General Administration of Sports, emphasized that sports events are a link where all kinds of accidents and safety risks are intertwined and prone to occur frequently. Doing a good job in the safety management of events should not be lost, and the bottom line of safe development must be firmly maintained.
Rescue scene.
Photo courtesy of Gansu Fire
Looking back at the 100-kilometer cross-country race in the Yellow River Stone Forest held in Baiyin City, Gansu Province on the 22nd, the organizers obviously did not implement the "safe race" in every aspect, which eventually led to tragedy.
For example, in terms of track design, the terrain of the stages from CP2 to CP3 is complex, and the mountain road is a mixture of stone and sand. There is only climbing, no descent, no means of transportation, and no supplies are provided.
For example, in terms of material preparation, only important items such as jackets, thermal underwear, and emergency blankets are included in the recommended equipment.
According to media reports, a participant directly pointed out that the organizers were very "random" in checking the equipment before the game.
The players are in the game.
Image source: Baiyin Daily
"Some may have met the staff, and passed a few words, there was no inspection, and some were inspected and found that there was nothing to bring, but begged with the staff and passed away. This is not for organizing an extreme sport. Attitude." The contestant said.
Sports scholar and sports industry expert Yi Jiandong pointed out sharply in an interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com that there are two obvious "contrasts" in the course of this event.
"It is abnormal for the race to set high prize money but reluctant to invest in (runner protection); secondly, cross-country races have higher risks than marathons, but there are no replenishment and rescue measures on the long road from CP2 to CP3. From these aspects, it reflects that this company lacks experience in running games." He said.
Tournament route map
According to Xinhua News Agency, many contestants stated that they had not received a notice from the organizer to stop the competition before they lost consciousness or were injured.
At 12 o'clock on the 22nd, participants posted a distress message in the WeChat group, and the competition was stopped at 14:00.
Yi Jiandong said: "It is basic common sense to adjust the game plan and plan according to the changes in the competition conditions. It is the same as climbing Mount Everest even if it is 10 meters away and retreating if the time window is not enough. "
Such various problems in competition organization not only run counter to the word "safety", but also worry about whether there are similar hidden dangers in other links in the context of the vigorous development of domestic mass sports.
The mountain cross-country race route signs remaining on the side of the road.
Gao Zhanshe
Also in May, the Wumeng Mountain Super Cross-Country Race also suffered from extreme weather with heavy rain and lower temperature, causing a player to lose his body temperature and pass away.
Yan Yi, deputy editor-in-chief of "Runner World" magazine, said in an interview with the media: "At present, there is no complete set of reference standards for running competitions in China." "Whether the industry or the runners, if they run too far, You should stop and reflect on the path you have traveled so that you can continue to run forward."
The sudden death of two contestants in a short period of time, especially the number of victims so many, has aroused strong social concern, and will undoubtedly bring a rapid "cooling" to the fiery marathon market.
On May 23, rescue vehicles in the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Spot in Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province.
(Drone photo) Photo by China News Agency reporter Gao Zhan
In fact, although domestic running events have heated up dramatically in recent years, they are still in the ascendant.
In 2014, the State Council issued the "Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Sports Industry and Promoting Sports Consumption", and the development of the domestic sports industry opened a "golden opportunity period."
Take the marathon as an example. At the end of the same year, the China Athletics Association took the lead in canceling the approval of mass events such as marathons. Event operators began to diversify. Commercial event operating companies emerged in large numbers, and marathon events ushered in a "blowout" development.
Public information shows that the cross-country marathon alone has achieved an increase from 312 to 481 each year from 2017 to 2019, ranking first in all types of marathon events.
At the same time, data shows that there are currently 317,000 sports event-related companies in my country. In recent years, the number of registrations has also been increasing. Among them, the number of registrations in 2019 was 74,000, and the number of registrations in 2020 was 78,000.
The number of competition and sports event companies is growing rapidly, and it is inevitable that there will be uneven competition levels.
How to regulate and manage commercial event companies to ensure that event organizers strictly implement the standards, and pose no small problems to the existing regulatory system.
As Gou Zhongwen, director of the State Sports General Administration, mentioned in the meeting on the evening of the 23rd, “With the deepening of the reform and development of the sports field... The management model dominated by the management system is difficult to adapt to the requirements of supervision tasks under the new situation, and there are some problems and deficiencies in the work."
On May 23, rescuers took a rest at the Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Spot in Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wei Jianjun
In this regard, Yi Jiandong said in an interview that it is necessary to mobilize non-governmental forces to supervise and manage the competition, "such as the supervision of the news media and the public opinion supervision of the news media, as well as the lack of participation of the organizers in running the competition, but also to play a supervisory role. , Promptly put forward opinions and even protest."
Yi Jiandong said that for the entire industry, this incident is an opportunity for rectification, making it more standardized, professional and safer.
"For example, the local government should not give up the game in the future. It must follow the relevant laws and regulations for the safe holding of large-scale events, as well as the technical documents for the management of relevant sports associations to check, review and supervise."
"Secondly, the company must firmly adhere to the bottom line of safety, run the game in accordance with the requirements, with sufficient resources and resources, not to cut corners, and speculate; third, the players should not just go to the battle for the results, there is a fluke mentality." He said.
It is worth mentioning that the Yinchuan Marathon, which will be held on May 30, has confirmed the establishment of a "fuse mechanism" for the event, and has formulated a targeted safety work plan and emergency plan.
On the 24th, the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Federation issued the "Emergency Notice on Strengthening the Safety Management of Sports Club Events", suspending middle and long-distance running and cross-country events. The specific recovery time will be notified by the Provincial Sports Bureau.
It was originally 21 runners who were full of love for running and bravely set off, but they failed to usher in the flowers and applause of the finish line. Their fall will bring profound changes to the organization of domestic sports events. (Finish)