On December 22, the 17th Asian Marathon Championships and Dongguan 
International Marathon 2019 kicked off in Dongguan, a city with high-quality 
development in southeast China. 42 athletes from 16 countries and regions, 
including China, Japan, North Korea, and Thailand, and over 30,000 marathon 
enthusiasts from 28 countries and regions participated in the event. Daichi 
Kamino from Japan and Ri Kwang OK from DPRK, won the first place in the men's 
and women's competition of the Asian Marathon Championships, respectively.

This event is organized by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), the Chinese 
Athletics Association, and hosted by the People's Government of Dongguan 
Municipality. It's the second time that Dongguan held the Asian Marathon 
Championships since last event in 2017. Dongguan has sent a warm invitation to 
the world while inviting Asian athletes in and run for a better future. It 
looks forward to sharing globally its ecological, cultural and innovative charm 
of Quality Dongguan, a metropolis within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater 
Bay Area.

Daichi Kamino said in an interview after the match that it was the first time 
he came to China. Enchanted by the beautiful and clean environment in Dongguan 
city, he would like to visit the city again in the future.

The open, inclusive, hospitable, and friendly atmosphere of Dongguan also 
impressed Dahlan Al-Hamad, president of AAA. He stated that the AAA family was 
certain to witness a best championships in the world when granting Dongguan to 
host the event. 

Wong Tsz Yan from Hong Kong said that during the game, there were many 
audiences, staff and volunteers cheering along the path with great enthusiasm. 
The whole city is so energetic and warm. She hopes that she would have more 
opportunities to come here for the event.

For Radio Khubbiev, team leader of Uzbekistan, it was the second time in 
Dongguan. He was amazed by the development of this city and satisfied with the 
good results achieved by his team members in this beautiful city. 

Du Feng, CBA's best coach and head coach of the Chinese men's basketball team, 
said in an interview, "The event, being more professional each year, is great 
for those who love running and keeping fit. People feel energized in their 
daily life here. I hope everyone can feel the joy of sports."

A spokesman for the Dongguan Organizing Committee said that Dongguan has 
witnessed much progress through its efforts to promote high-quality 
development. More and more talents are gathering in Dongguan, totaling 1.95 
million, among whom, 126,000 are high-level talents. Both figures are 
increasing year by year, and Dongguan ranked sixth among the most popular 
destinations for college graduates in 2019. Dongguan is also striving to 
provide a more livable and professional environment for these talents. Inviting 
talents to participate in the Dongguan International Marathon is one of the 
measures.

Source: The People's Government of Dongguan Municipality