by Maria Spiliopoulou
MARATHON, Greece, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The first Marathon Forum aiming to further promote the "Marathon culture" worldwide was held on Friday at the Municipality of Marathon where 2,500 years ago the Marathon race was born.
Next to the starting point of the authentic course first covered by soldier Pheidippides, where thousands of runners take positions each year to run the 42 kilometer route to Athens, some 300 delegates, including many officials, representatives of sports associations, businesses and experts in running discussed the past, present and future of the Marathon movement.
The inaugural event helped to promote the "Marathon race values" of noble competition, friendship and cooperation and build new bridges of cooperation between Greeks and Chinese in particular, keynote speakers said.
"We will support every effort made to pass on to every corner of the globe the ideas born in this land," Greek Deputy Minister for Sports and Culture Yorgos Vassiliadis said, addressing the forum.
"This is a great opportunity to bring closer our civilizations...Once peoples are connected through culture and sports, tourism follows, and then entrepreneurism and so on," Marathon Mayor Ilias Psinakis said..
Marathon city chose to launch the new platform of dialogue and collaboration with China in the context of the cordial friendship connecting the two countries and peoples and in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative, he explained.
The event which was hosted under the auspices of the Greek ministries of Foreign Affairs and Sports, the Greek Athletics Federation (SEGAS), the Chinese Athletic Association (CAA) and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), was an initiative of Psinakis and Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zou Xiaoli.
"As the Chinese Ambassador to Greece, I am happy to see yet another strong bond between the peoples of our two countries, hoping it will connect even more people and countries around the world so that the Marathon and the Olympic spirit will be carried forward, shining upon the historical process of peace, cooperation, and development of mankind," Zou said, delivering a welcome speech.
"I believe that the Marathon Forum could become an important platform for realizing these dreams," he stressed.
Zou, as well as other Chinese officials, underlined that many Marathon-lovers in China dream of travelling to Greece to run the authentic Marathon course along the footsteps of Pheidippides and Marathon race organizers hope to share their experiences with their counterparts in Greece and all over the world to learn from each other.
Marathon and distance races have seen a tremendous growth in recent years. Currently the Marathon movement worldwide has more than 15 million runners, according to AIMS official data.
In recent years, Marathon races have gained rapid development in China, Chinese delegates noted.
"The Marathon has become a great medium for communication between the two countries. So, this forum not only witnesses the exchange of ideas between China and Greece on marathon sports, but also the exchange of ideas in sports and culture between the two ancient civilizations," Shui Tao, vice secretary of CAA said, addressing Friday's event.
"The development and popularization of the marathon movement promoted the exchange and cooperation between cities, as well as the marathon industry," Sun Jianyou, vice mayor of Nanjing municipal government added.
In 2016 Nanjing and Marathon became sister cities. On Friday, Sun, as well as Shui, were awarded the title "Ambassador of Marathon to the World" by Psinakis, while Sun presented an impressive sculpture donated to the City of Marathon by Nanjing.
The sculpture will be placed at the starting point of the original marathon course in November this year.
"For the Greek people the Marathon run is a bridge which connects the legend and the history, a fountain of principles and values," SEGAS President Konstantinos Panagopoulos told the forum, inviting all runners to participate in the Athens Marathon and become part of the history.
AIMS President Paco Borao did it in 2014, aged 68. It was the first time he run a marathon in his life, he told delegates. As the home of world running has become his second home, on Friday he invited more Chinese to follow the footsteps of Pheidippides.
"I will be very glad to have as many Chinese to come here, because this will be very good for all worldwide runners," he said.
The legend, which inspired the modern Marathon races across the world, states that Athenian soldier Pheidippides was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.
After running the distance nonstop and delivering the great news to Athenians, he collapsed and died, but his feat still inspires millions of runners across the world to keep pushing their limits.
