The Infront Sports & Media agency has confirmed details of the inaugural season of the Asian Premier Marathons (APM) series, which it has established in partnership with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA).
The series will comprise marathon events in Beijing, China; Beirut, Lebanon; and Seoul in South Korea. The 2017-18 series begins with the Beijing Marathon on September 17 and continues with the Beirut Marathon in November and the Seoul event in March. The 2018 Beijing Marathon will conclude the series.
Details of the APM were first revealed in October 2016 and Infront made the launch announcement during an event in Beijing.
Infront will serve as a shareholder and operator of the series, which is said to be the first continental marathon event competition in the world. Infront will handle all marketing and communications, including sponsorship deals, for the league.
It is hoped the APM will increase the competition levels and international appeal of marathons in Asia, with events to be broadcast live across all member countries.
Anne Zhao, managing director of Infront China, said: “From the iconic Happy 10k races, to half marathon and eventually to marathon this year, Infront China has put a focus on active lifestyle and endurance events. The official launch of APM, after over a year of preparations, is the best proof of Infront China’s professional strength and abundant resources worldwide. We will continue to focus on the mass participation market in sports and do our best to further boost the development of marathons in China and across Asia.”
AAA president Dahlan Al-Hamad added: “As we all have witnessed, the popularity of marathons has grown remarkably fast in the past few years around the world. I believe that APM will undoubtedly further boost the appeal of marathons in Asia. It is an honour for AAA to be the leader of APM and to support the league. We look forward to making great strides for the bright future of marathons in Asia.”
