Requires marathon races in Hanoi's inner city to end before 8am

(NLDO)- Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports submitted to Hanoi People's Committee a plan to organize 8 races in 2025 and must end before 8:00 a.m.

The Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports (VH-TT) submitted to the City People's Committee about organizing Marathon and Half Marathon competitions in 2025.

A race in Hanoi city center

According to the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, this year the city People's Committee has approved 8 races. Each Marathon and Half Marathon attracts between 10,000 and 17,000 runners and about 1,300 to 1,500 people to organize and operate the race.

The Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports believes that the races bring about local economic impacts, while also contributing to promoting the image of the capital to domestic and international friends. However, there are still some limitations such as the races starting and finishing in the inner city, so the road closures are prolonged.

"Although the opening and closing of the race has been organized flexibly, there are still some points where volunteers are not flexible and do not guide people to alternative routes, causing frustration for some residents in the inner city districts. At the starting area, although the sound is only used to announce and guide the athletes to start, it still creates noise in the area" - the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated.

Also according to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the communication work of the organizing unit and the districts where the route passes through has been carried out but is still not effective, so some people are not proactive in their work and life.

Based on the results of organizing Marathon and Half Marathon this year, the Department of Culture and Sports submitted to the Hanoi People's Committee a plan to organize 8 races in 2025. Accordingly, the 2025 races will be arranged with a distance of about 15-20 days between each race, except for the cases of district-level races and the route does not affect the central districts. Along with that, the races must organize early departure times, ensuring that the routes are completely returned to the people before 8 o'clock.

Gradually raise the marathon time standards to shorten the road closure period. Road closures without alternative routes must be opened and closed flexibly.

According to the Department of Culture and Sports, the organizational capacity of the units, the race route, the forecast of pressing social issues, the direction of controlling the number of participants corresponding to the scale of the race route and traffic and health solutions. In addition, the authorities will strengthen communication work about the prohibited routes to each residential group and residential area where the race route passes, so that people can be proactive in their activities and have alternative plans.

Ms. Vu Thu Ha, Vice Chairwoman of Hanoi People's Committee, agreed with this policy of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/yeu-cau-cac-giai-chay-marathon-o-noi-thanh-ha-noi-ket-thuc-truoc-8-gio-sang-196241219155652.htm