yet another blow to cross the finish line how much more can they do before they stop

On December 2nd, the Nanning Marathon grandly opened. After the race, a piece of news emerged, attracting widespread attention. The official website of the Nanning Marathon showed that the event was operated by Wisdom Sports Operation Management (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. It was not a franchised event but an original event from the Running China series.

During the race, we witnessed a surprising scene: right after the men's full marathon champion crossed the finish line, he was immediately grabbed by the staff before he could even steady himself. Why was he grabbed? To take a photo with the Running China flag. The poor African brother, like a high-speed train making an emergency stop, was forced to halt abruptly. Before he could react, he collapsed to the ground.

To get the facts straight, I specifically watched the entire event replay on CCTV. To be honest, if it weren't for trying to understand this incident, no one would have the patience to watch the entire broadcast. It was too formulaic and too boring.

As usual, several officials and retired Olympic champions held the Running China flag and led the race.

In the second half of the race, all you could see was a wide, empty road with a single runner. There weren't even any birds around, let alone spectators. The CCTV commentators were also not impressive, making frequent mistakes.

When the half-marathon champions crossed the finish line, staff immediately rushed to pull them aside for a photo with the Running China flag. Of course, the usual practice of crossing the finish line with the national flag was also indispensable. One thing I don't understand is why these photos couldn't be taken after the race. How can you tell if the photo was taken right after the race ended?

So, when the men's full marathon champion crossed the finish line, the scene at the beginning happened. The flag bearers were already prepared to follow and were ready at any moment. Regardless of whether the runner was exhausted, needed to catch his breath, or could even stand, as long as he wasn't dead, he had to take a photo with the Running China flag immediately.

As for the potential harm to the athlete's body in such situations, many experts have already given answers, ranging from severe paralysis to brain death. I don't understand the specifics, as I'm in good health and not knowledgeable about medicine. In short, the risks are very high.

Despite the obvious facts, the official response once again tested the public's intelligence. According to reports from media like the People's Daily, the official response was: he almost fell, so they went to support him.

That's the whole story. It's a simple matter that anyone can understand. The relevant authorities, thinking they are clever, still try to fool everyone as if they were idiots. Do they think everyone is blind?

Let's take a look back at the Running China series of events. This is an original concept by Wisdom Sports, combining marathons with patriotism. You have to admire their creativity.

The Running China Marathon series is divided into several themes:Red Journey, Reform and Opening Up, Beautiful China, Belt and Road, and Carrying Reform to the End.I want to ask a simple question: how many people can distinguish between these themes? I certainly can't. It's just running, yet they've managed to create so many variations.

Every Running China Marathon series event has three unique ceremonial aspects compared to other races.

First, the Running China flag leads the race.

Second, the domestic champion crosses the finish line draped in the national flag.

Third, after crossing the finish line, the champion takes a photo with the Running China flag.

The recent flag-dropping incident involving He Yinli at the Suzhou Taihu Marathon had just caught the public's attention. Less than half a month later, the photo with the Running China flag caused another uproar. The only part that hasn't had an incident yet is the flag leading the race.

I've seen the flag leading the race many times and am familiar with this ceremony. The more I see it, the more I feel that this segment will eventually cause an incident. After all, carrying a large flag while running, and the leaders are no match for the elite runners. Who knows when it might cause an obstruction, collision, fall, stampede, or someone getting poked by the flagpole. If an incident occurs at the start, it won't be an isolated case at the finish line but a major safety accident. I wonder if the top management at Wisdom Sports has considered this issue.

The Athletics Association also has a tough job. Due to the He Yinli flag-dropping incident, they issued a notice last week stating that related ceremonies should not affect the race itself. But this week, another incident occurred.Despite the recent notice, Wisdom Sports continues to do as they please.

However, Wisdom Sports has gotten smarter. The flag is now handed over outside the track, and there were no intense competition situations. The domestic runners were cooperative, so crossing the finish line with the national flag went smoothly.

But unexpectedly, the photo session caused another problem. How Wisdom Sports will handle this issue is something their leaders will have to think hard about.

I wonder how the Athletics Association will handle this. Knowing the rules and repeatedly violating them, three strikes and you're out. Will it take an incident during the flag-leading segment for this to end? Hopefully, it won't involve innocent athletes. Achieving good results is not easy, and being labeled as unpatriotic, disrespecting the national flag, or not respecting the country can affect an athlete's career. This is truly damaging.

It's just running, why complicate it so much?

A sigh.