An illustration of a magnifying glass. [3] After the accident, questions were raised about their qualifications. Rescuers transfer the remains of victims to a helicopter at Jingtai county on May 23. Photo: Jingtai TV / WeChat. A 27th official responsible for the accident, county party chief Li Zuobi, died two days before the penalties were made public. Skip to main content. Twenty-one runners were dead when searchers found them. The organizers recommended that runners carry jackets but didnt require it, according to the race regulations. The Gansu race was his first 100K. The suspension will likely see tougher rules implemented in future endurance events. The daughter later found out that the man in the video was not her father, although her father did die in the race. Fellow runners nicknamed him Liang God.. The incident is under investigation, and Chinas sports governing body has already ordered improvements, saying there were problems and deficiencies in the management model for races, including contingency planning. The standard mandatory clothing list for endurance trail events usually includes waterproof jackets and trousers as a minimum, and often a survival kit along with hats and gloves. } ); Five people at a company that was hired to organize the race were arrested and subjected to criminal investigations. The shepherds name was Zhu Keming. Khannas plan includes reducing trade deficits and tensions, improving communication, and bolstering deterrence. WebJuly 16, 2021, 2:09 PM Over a month after the trail ultramarathon in Baiyin, a city in Chinas Gansu province, when 21 runners were killed by extreme weather, the Chinese internet ultramarathon Two and half hours later, a shepherd found Zhang, pulled him into a cave, changed his drenched clothing and wrapped him in a blanket in front of a fire. China ultra-marathon: Extreme weather kills 21 runners | CNN The government has not published the names of the 21 people who died in the race in Gansu. The route would take runners through canyons and hills on an arid plateau at an elevation of over 1,000 metres (3,300 feet). "listStyle": "modal", Five employees of the private companyShengjing Sports Culture Development Co.that had been contracted to organize and run the race for the past four years. Gansu authorities have meanwhile offered about $150,000 compensation each to families of those who died. const askQuestionLink = button.parentElement.parentElement.querySelector( '.bigfoot-footnote__button' ); Delivered Friday. 21 Deaths, and 1 Suicide: The Story of an Ultramarathon Gone A massive rescue effort was initiated, with over 1,200 rescuers dispatched, assisted by thermal-imaging drones, radar detectors and demolition equipment, according to state media. Click + to receive similar content in your personalized email digest. Khanna will join FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal for an in-depth discussion about not only China, but also Ukraine, U.S. national security priorities, trade policy, and more. WebThe Chinese government has banned all ultramarathon-styled races in the wake of the tragedy that saw 21 runners die during the Yellow River Stone Forest 100km Trail Race in They are part of how the state functions. What happens when the world is no longer unipolar, bipolar, or even multipolar? { one commentator wrote. Pengfei has left, a relative of Cao Pengfei, a 35-year-old athlete from the eastern province of Anhui, said in an online message to VICE World News last week. Atmospheric convection is getting strong in May in general, so beware of sudden heavy showers, hail, lightning and gusts. Most of the time, poor regulation is business as usual. Its actually also very good at promoting tourism.. There is nowhere to rest and you cant stop and the exposed mountains But on this day, the problems were magnified, the anonymous competitor said. A total of 172 people took part in the race. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. [1] Villager Zhu Wanwen (), who had a motorbike, departed around 16:00[20] and he saved a mouth-foaming runner around 18:0019:00. [21][3] Jingtai County firefighters, located 33 kilometres (21mi) away, were dispatched at 16:21, arrived at the car-accessible fourth checkpoint around 17:45 and hiked up to the distressed third checkpoint around 21:00. "location": "https://foreignpolicy.com/live/how-to-reset-the-u-s-china-relationship/", More ways to stay updated on global news: By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. No matter how it is handled, Pengfei could not be brought back. Similarly, mining accidents and landslides are notoriously common, including the Shenzhen landslides of 2015 that saw dozens of buildings buried and a slew of prison sentences for criminal negligence. The wind ripped it apart. In 2021, Michael Beckley argued in FP that Chinas demographic challenges and a decline in productivity would lead to economic stagnation. Add to Calendar WebLiang Jing (Chinese: ; pinyin: Ling Jng; March 1990 22 May 2021) was a Chinese ultramarathon runner; he died in the Gansu ultramarathon disaster. China [3], The 2021 edition consisted of three events: 5 kilometres (3.1mi) running, a half marathon and a 100km (62mi) trail running. Media reports of authorities preventing families from talking to each other, or of stopping families from taking the bodies back to their home towns, has only compounded worries. Delivered Wednesday & Sunday. His tongue was cold. "iCal", Your guide to the most important world stories of the day. [3][17][18][19], At 14:30, the Yellow River Stone Forest Administration phoned the mayor of Zhongquan town with a brief instruction, "we need to bring winter supplies to the athletes". The Gansu provincial government has set up an investigation team to further look into the cause of the deaths, the People's Daily reported. The wind on the mountain is too strong, said Luo Jing, famous for being the first Chinese woman to climb all 14 of the worlds mountains higher than 8,000 meters. Under Lis leadership, the county built solar farms and fishery zones that employed poor residents. It is time for the industry to cool down.. The high Delivered Wednesday. ", The first distress signal was sent at 12:17 p.m. by someone citing bad weather; soon after, participants began giving up at the second checkpoint due to plummeting temperatures and deteriorating weather. None of the companies involved with the race or the local Gansu government answered repeated calls from The Times. In October 2019, he sent her a video of himself completing a marathon in Xian. We really dont want to talk about this anymore.. if ( ! At the starting line of the Gansu ultramarathon, it was cold but the sun was shining. At some point he lost consciousness and woke up in hospital. China Accuses 32 in Ultramarathon Disaster, but Main Suspect Is At the same time, runners and organizers have become a bit complacent about the sports dangers, he said, holding increasingly extreme events without preparing for the consequences. The collapsed runners did not survive and rescuers did not arrive until 19:00. WebChinese authorities have launched an investigation into the death of 21 people in an ultramarathon over the weekend, as family and friends of the competitors who died in "MicrosoftTeams", File : Gansu Baiyin Ultramarathon 2021.svg [14], Jing, a former champion and a record-holder, was among the casualties and recorded a zero heart rate at 13:08 by his sports watch. Authorities said Li fell from a high-rise apartment building last Wednesday and suggested it was a suicide by saying that they ruled out homicide. Normally, I can get here before dark.. Shed noticed him at a marathon that year at which he placed second out of 40 racers from his home city of Mianyang. The Yellow River Stone Forest national geological park in China hosted a 100-kilometer (62 By the time rescuers found them, three of the four, including Liang, had died. [2], The race was jointly organized by the sports department of Baiyin prefecture-level city and the Communist Party Committee[zh] of Jingtai County annually from 2018. The organizers were unaware of the scope of the disaster because they did not assign any staff between checkpoints and they did not know the distressed point was in mobile phone signal blind spots. Why every day on the Mediterranean is a new scandal for Europe. Her 21-year-old daughter, a university student, saw a video online of a runner passed out, froth spilling from his mouth. Smaller-scale incidents are rarely reported by the media. Zhu saved six runners, all soaked, shivering and injured, including Zhang. Other runners were scattered ahead and behind her in the rain. WebMany of those killed in the 100km Yellow River Stone Forest Park race in Gansu died from hypothermia after being caught in freezing rain and hail on a remote high-altitude section "listStyle": "modal", A report published in Esquire, piecing together a timeline of events, revealed shambolic coordination of the rescue effort, with small teams and cars trying to reach checkpoints 2 and 4, while others including local villagers went on foot. In the three previous years the race was sunny and hot, so most runners handed away their windbreakers. The deaths have sparked public outrage on Chinese social media, with anger mainly directed at the Baiyin government and unhappiness over the lack of contingency planning. A woman in the city of Guizhou received a call overnight from race organizers. This wind is a little big, he wrote. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. In 2006, he moved to the Baiyin city government to work in its education and then housing department. First, its highly visible, so it has reputational gains. The weather deteriorated between the second and third checkpoints: a five-mile stretch of trail, 15 miles into the route. Once the contract is secured, all ties are then severed. He left school after seventh grade, unable to keep up with the class. High winds and freezing rain hit participants of the race, Rescuers brought equipment to help in their search efforts, The scene at the start of the race, as shown on local television, World sees hottest day since records began, Cocaine found in White House sparks evacuation, Scottish ceremony sees King Charles tread a thin line, Westminster culture still 'predatory', say staff, Anxiety and anger over Fukushima nuclear waste plan, Fiona Phillips reveals she has Alzheimer's at 62, Indian man arrested for urinating on tribal worker, King Charles to receive Scottish crown jewels, Colombia's last active guerrilla group agrees truce. China bank shares slump in Hong Kong after Goldman downgrades, Thames Water investors reluctant to stump up cash, regulator says, Moscow says civilians hit in Makiivka attack that Kyiv says destroyed Russian unit, Putin says Russian economy faring better than expected, Top Zelenskiy adviser: China's position on Russian nuclear threat 'important', Iran must stop executions of protesters, says UN fact-finding mission. The Deadly 62-mile Marathon That Killed 21 Runners - YouTube Surviving participants said the forecast had shown some wind and rain was anticipated,but nothing as extreme as what they experienced. Technologist Dan Wang on the impact of U.S. sanctions on Beijing. On top of ultramarathons, the Yellow River Stone Forest park was also home to the national cross-country skiing championship earlier this year. "[4] The provincial meteorological center, at an unknown time on the day before, flagged a key notice that warned of "2122 May is forecasted to have massive yellow dust and sand carried by winds, a drop of temperature and some precipitation. A line drawing of the Internet Archive headquarters building faade. Khanna will join FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal for an in-depth discussion about not only China, but also Ukraine, U.S. national security priorities, trade policy, and more. According to China News Weekly, he was one of four competitors who sheltered in a cave, accompanied by two local villagers. to rebalance its economic relationship with Beijing. Want to read more on this topic or region? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Ten years after Egypts coup, Washington has yet to learn that authoritarian stability is an illusion. With most of the deaths due to hypothermia, one of the biggest criticisms of the ultramarathon was the failure to mandate proper gear. ", "China ultramarathon: Severe weather kills 21 runners", "21 die in Chinese ultramarathon suddenly struck by plunging temperatures, wind and hail", "Twenty-one runners dead as disaster rocks cross-country marathon in China", "Shepherd hailed as hero in deadly China ultramarathon race", "China ultramarathon disaster: what happened during the storm that killed 21 runners? He told China News the weather turned at about 1pm, after he had run 17 miles. UNI POWER TRANSMISSION is an ISO 9001 : 2008 certified company and one of the leading organisation in the field of manufacture and supply of ACSR conductors. Why the Ultra-Race Tragedy in China Wasnt Surprising Download the new FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. Which theory is correct? At 11 a.m., the rain came. | FP subscribers are encouraged to send in questions in advance. Often tourism officials see a race as a high-profile way to promote their region and to win favour with their superiors, potentially without enough regard for the danger. Hail and rain pounded, but Huang heard nothing. In the days before the Gansu race, Huang toured the region with three friends. A windbreaker or thermal top were only recommended, and the mandatory emergency blankets were ripped to shreds by the winds. With more than a decade of experience and expertise in the field of power transmission, we have been successfully rendering our services to meet the various needs of our customers. Xinhua News quoted an insider as saying that it is common for companies to pay others with the necessary credentials to be listed as a bid partner. One runner, Mao Shuzhi, told Reuters news agency she turned around when the weather changed. A female runner would have won the overall race had it not been suspended. All of a sudden, everyone is talking about artificial intelligence. The 100-kilometer (62-mile) race on May 22 that began with 173 runners at the Yellow River Stone Forest park in Jingtai County, which is administered by the city of Baiyin, ended with 152 returning alive, six of whom were rescued by a local shepherd. If it wasnt raining, I could have finished in 2:35, he told her. It was May 22, 2021. Many others online hold the same suspicions.. Liang Jing, an ultramarathon champion, and Huang Guanjun, who won the men's hearing-impaired marathon at China's 2019 National Paralympic Games, were among the victims, state-run media reported. Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. WebOriginal file (SVG file, nominally 998 789 pixels, file size: 788 KB) Around noon on Saturday, a mountainous section of the race was hit by hail, freezing rain and gales that caused temperatures to plummet, officials from Baiyin told a news briefing on Sunday. To discuss his lead essay in FPs summer print issue, The Scramble for AI, join FPs Ravi Agrawal in conversation with Paul Scharre, author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. All of the dead were in the lead pack. The firefighters were not geared or trained to identify hypothermia, and did not attempt to perform CPR on the runners who "looked dead". Keep up with the world without stopping yours. The wind was so strong that it blew away some of his equipment. He looked like her father. And as an initial team of 10 rescuers who tried to reach the trail by foot found out, the only access was from the fourth checkpoint and involved a long trek, not to mention needing a local guide. "Microsoft365", In the last five years, more than 57,000 new registrations have made up the majority of the 66,300 currently listed under the categorymany of them firms with no experience in handling such events and more than half without administrative licenses. Chinese marathon selection race called off He was experienced, having won among others a 250-mile (400km) race through the Gobi desert in 2018. "timeZone": "America/New_York", Twenty-one dead as extreme weather hits ultramarathon in China Li Zuobi, the Communist Party chief at Jingtai, greets winners at the 2020 race. Li was hardly a pioneer in tapping the countrys growing interest in recreational and competitive running. The race manual made windbreakers recommended but not compulsory.[3]. In 2014, a reporter named Yan Jing profiled Huang for a local paper in Sichuan province. The apparent temperature ("body feel") dropped from 1C (34F) at 10:00 to 5C (23F) from 11:20 to 13:50. FP subscribers are encouraged to send in questions in advance. State media reported that more than 700 rescuers scoured the mountain overnight. [27][28], Jingtai County's Communist Party Secretary, Li Zuobi (), the highest ranked in the county yet only middle ranked among the organizers, committed suicide on 9 June 2021. ct a primary geopolitical concern. / 36.99; 104.30. The first distress message was sent at 11:50 (Nationwide Beijing time[note 1]) by a runner via GPS, but never received a response. On the plane, the daughter scribbled a note to post later on Weibo: Why hold the race without proper safety measures? The Chinese Athletics Association has cancelled this weekends marathon qualification race in Lanzhou in the wake of the Gansu ultramarathon tragedy that claimed the lives of 21 runners last month. What does it mean for critical minerals and mining? Nicknamed Liang God, the 31-year-old father of a two-year-old was well known in China as a champion racer. \nWhich theory is correct? Ultramarathon The race began at 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Saturday, with some of the competitors setting off wearing just shorts and T-shirts. Chinese ultramarathon: official found dead and five arrested over He repeatedly pressed his GPS emergency button. Low-budget organizers often cut costs, forgoing equipment like GPS devices or not having a professional rescue team on standby, Van de Velde said. The day began chilly and overcast. Customer Delight has always been our top priority and driving force. AI is already impacting warfare and deterrence, and the immense amount of computing power required to stay ahead of the curve is driving foreign-policy choices for major economies. Liang won several ultramarathons, including the Ultra Gobia 400 km (250 Many runners reportedly lost their way on the route as the weather affected visibility. Rescuers hadnt reached him until about 7pm. U.S. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has a proposal for improving the most important relationship in the world. As authoritarian capitalism gains credibility, free societies must overcome their internal weaknesses. Another major oversight was the number of dead corners along the route without GPS, internet, or cellular connection. The 62-mile mountain race in Gansu Province left athletes in shorts and T-shirts facing freezing rain, But while most public conversations about AI center around productivity and jobs, the race to dominate technology is in faShow morect a primary geopolitical concern. [21] Although firefighters brought thermal-imaging drones and radar, they got lost in the dark a few times and relied on villagers' guidance. Will India Surpass China to Become the Next Superpower? Commentators have also suggested the explosion in the popularity of endurance running in China has led to thousands of race events, with too few experienced outfits to run them. In return, Liang gave a plug for the beautiful sceneries of the place. Shivering in the cold, she turned back before the high-altitude section, due to previous bad experiences with hypothermia. By signing up, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to occasionally receive special offers from Foreign Policy. WebThe in-depth story of the Gansu Ultramarathon Disaster 2021. }, button ) The victims were among Chinas best runners: Liang Jing, 31, won the 400-kilometer Ultra Gobi in 2018, running for 3 days across a desert trail that included a nighttime, 4,000-meter climb in frigid temperatures. He stands in the cave where he sheltered with runners in distress. You can only say youve finished if you make it home. He pulled out a thin thermal blanket. China bans extreme sports in wake of Gansu ultramarathon tragedy China ultramarathon: inquiry launched after 21 runners die in cold Trail events in China saw a jump from 16 events in 2013 to 481 in 2019, attributed to middle-class desires to escape the urban jungle and pursue a more active lifestyle. Liang Jing supported his family of three by running really, really far. Guo asked whether the organizers intended to stop the race. In a widely shared account of the horror that followed, published online, the anonymous runner described the conditions that led to the death of 21 competitors and the admission of eight others to hospital, and sparked major questions about the safety of the increasingly popular endurance sport in China. It depends who you ask. Download the FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. Now, we are one of the registered and approved vendors to various electricity boards in Karnataka. Li, on the other hand, jumped to his death as senior officials investigated the human factors that contributed to the deadliest running event in modern history. Running had become a faith for Huang, a reason to face each day, he told Yan on the Chinese chatting app QQ. Delivered Thursday. I was always a bit concerned, said Van de Velde, about what is going to happen if one day the weather really turns nasty or people get stuck high up on the mountain with dehydration, hypothermia, serious dangers. Together with his Danger Zone co-author Hal Brands, Beckley made the term Peak China mainstream. Competitors have described being blindsided by the cold, losing feeling in their extremities, passing people who retired early and were descending the track, and coming across others who were foaming at the mouth or lying motionless. WebFive employees of the company that organized the May 22 ultramarathon in Yellow River Stone Forest Park in Jingtai County, Gansu Province, will face criminal charges, the Baiyin - including Jingtai - was expected to see moderate to strong winds from Friday night through Saturday, according to the China Meteorological Administration in Beijing late on Friday. In 2019, less than a fifth of races had CAA certification. KPTCL, BESCOM, MESCOM, CESC, GESCOM, HESCOM etc are just some of the clients we are proud to be associated with. He is believed to have died by suicide. The worst-hit section of the ultramarathon was between the second checkpoint at 24 kilometers into the race and the third checkpoint at 32.5 kilometers, a stretch with no support stations described as no mans landincluding a longer than half-mile climb inaccessible to vehicles. According to a widely-shared list compiled by news outlet GQ China, the deceased included a 25-year-old newly-wed accountant, a 34-year-old hearing-impaired running champion, a 25-year-old ethnic Kirghiz firefighter, a 50-year-old vegetable vendor, and 31-year-old champion Liang, whose daughter will turn two in July. Officials said 151 runners were now confirmed safe, and that eight of them were injured. The sport is an ultimate endurance test, often in difficult or treacherous conditions. At least 60 upcoming road and trail races nationwide have been canceled or indefinitely postponed. China bans ultramarathons and off-road races after 21 die in Some survivors did not respond to requests for contact. { The inaccessibility of the section meant checkpoint 3 was not a supply drop for food, water or warm clothes, and those caught in the section could only rely on what they were carrying, which for many was very little. I was shocked that so many people died this time. WebHigh winds and freezing rain hit participants in the 100km (60-mile) ultramarathon in the Yellow River Stone Forest, a tourist site in Gansu province, on Saturday. button.addEventListener( 'mouseover', () => { Emmanuel Macron is pushing a European policy that flatters France and annoys everyone else. Ziyu Yang of The Times Beijing bureau contributed to this report. Many have rejected the compensation, saying they want more explanation of what went wrong, according to local media. Khannas plan includes reducing trade deficits and tensions, improving communication, and bolstering deterrence. In the past few years, China has experienced a marathon craze that saw the number of races held annually skyrocketing from 134 in 2015 to 1,828 in 2019. Copyright 2011 Unipower Transmission Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Liang Jing (runner) - Wikiwand After the one of those implicated, the Jingtai County party chief, was found dead shortly before the announcement was madeapparently from suicide. The worst conditions hit the runners leading at the front, many of whom were already past the second checkpoint by that time. He later spotted three more runners dead not far from his cave. WebThe Chinese Athletics Association has cancelled this weekends marathon qualification race in Lanzhou in the wake of the Gansu ultramarathon tragedy that claimed the lives of 21 Chinese Ultramarathon: A Survivor Describes the Deadly Race