Chinese sprint star Su Bingtian led more than 4000 runners at the 38th edition of the annual New Year Run in Nanjing, the host city of the next World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Bingtian, the Asian record holder in the 60m indoors and Asian co-record holder in the 100m, along with Cedar, the mascot of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020, led more than 70 groups of runners through the eastern Chinese city's Youth Olympics Sports Park.&nbsp;
Since its debut in 1982, the annual race has witnessed significant transformations of the city and recorded wonderful memories for Nanjing&rsquo;s citizens.
The event took on added significance this year as the city prepares to host the World Athletics Indoor Championships from 13-15 March at Nanjing&rsquo;s Cube Indoor Athletics Facility.&nbsp;
Themed "Run for Health, Run for Well-being", the 5km run attracted participants from all walks of life, including officials of municipal authorities and citizens from Jiangbei New Area and the Pukou, Xuanwu, Qinhuai, Jianye, and Gulou Districts.
The course began at Nanjing's Cube, ran past various landmarks such as the Nanjing Sports Training Centre, the venue for the National Snowboarding Training Team, the Yangtze River Boat Complex which will serve as the official hotel for the World Athletics Indoor Championships and the Yangtze River Financial Demonstration Zone before arriving at Wentao Square, the finish point. Runners ran past banners promoting and celebrating the upcoming World Indoor Championships that dotted the route.
Wang Nan, World Athletics Council Member and Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association, flagged off the race.
Other officials attending the launch ceremony included Yang Xuepeng, Member of the Nanjing Municipal Standing Committee and Executive Vice Mayor; Chen Hua, Deputy Director of the Nanjing Municipal People's Congress; Li Qi, Vice President of the CPPCC Nanjing Municipal Committee; Xiong Wei, Deputy Director of Jiangsu Provincial Administration of Sports; Wu Xiuliang, Deputy Secretary-General of Nanjing Municipal Government; Yang Feng, Deputy Director of the Competition Department of the Chinese Athletics Association; Chen Weihong, Director of Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Sports; and Li Baoping, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Jiangbei New Area.
Nanjing 2020 LOC for World Athletics

Chinese sprint star Su Bingtian led more than 4000 runners at the 38th edition of the annual New Year Run in Nanjing, the host city of the next World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Su and Cedar lead New Year run in Nanjing

Organisers of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020 announced their ticketing programme and introduced the event's mascot, Cedar, at a press conference in the eastern Chinese city on Tuesday (31).
Wenkor Ticketing was selected as the general ticketing agent for the event, which will be held from 13-15 March at Nanjing&rsquo;s Cube Indoor Athletics Facility. Around 18,000 tickets will be made available over the six competition sessions.
Wenkor Ticketing, an affiliate of the Nanjing Cultural Investment Holding Group, will work with other ticketing platforms, including Damai, Maoyan and 228.com.cn, to provide ticketing services for domestic and international fans.
The tickets will range in price from RMB 50-600 (USD $7-$86) but will not be assigned to a particular seat. Instead, ticketed spectators can be seated freely anywhere in the ticket's designated zone.
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Nanjing&rsquo;s Cube, venue for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020</div>
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Online reservations are set to begin on 16 January 2020 at 10am local time via the ticketing link on the Championships' official website: <a href="https://www.worldathleticsnanjing2020.com/html/enindex/">www.worldathleticsnanjing2020.com</a>.
<h3>Meet Cedar</h3>
Also at the press conference, Wu Yahui, the LOC's Assistant Director for Marketing Development, introduced Cedar, the official Nanjing 2020 mascot.
Created by a design team headed by young artist Zhang Qingfeng, Cedar represents a lively, confident figure, with its head held high, likened to an athlete eager to take on challenges. 2020 is the Year of the Mouse in the Chinese lunar calendar, the inspiration behind the "snow squirrel" design. Its name is taken from Nanjing's symbolic tree. Organisers received 827 mascot design submissions from around the world.
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The track at Nanjing&rsquo;s Cube Indoor Athletics Facility</div>
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Among the attendees at the ticketing and mascot launch press conference were World Athletics Council Member Wang Nan, who also serves as Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association; Wang Weizhong, Deputy Director of Jiangsu Provincial Administration of Sports; Chen Weihong, Director of Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Sports; Yang Feng, Deputy Director of the Competition Department of the Chinese Athletics Association; and Fei Jiawei, Deputy Director of Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Sports.
LOC for World Athletics

Organisers of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020 announced their ticketing programme and introduced the event's mascot, Cedar, at a press conference in the eastern Chinese city on Tuesday (31).

Ticket programme announced, mascot Cedar unveiled - World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing

Preparations for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020 stepped up a notch on Wednesday (4) as the event&rsquo;s emblem and slogan were unveiled, marking 100 days to go until the sport&rsquo;s next big global competition.
After receiving input from creatives around the world, the organising committee selected: &lsquo;Nanjing&rsquo;s Cube, Where Athletes Dream&rsquo; as the event slogan. The emblem, meanwhile, incorporates the Ming Dynasty City Wall and the Zifeng Building, two of Nanjing&rsquo;s most iconic landmarks.
Today&rsquo;s 100-day countdown ceremony marked the final stage of preparations. Nanjing&rsquo;s Cube, the first professional indoor athletics arena in China built specially for the event, has been completed, while the Yangtze River Boat Complex, the official hotel for the event, will be put into trial operation on 1 January 2020. 
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Nanjing&rsquo;s Cube, venue for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020</div>
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&ldquo;Sports, as a common language of mankind, serves as an important bridge connecting Nanjing and the world,&rdquo; said Liu Tong, Vice Secretary General of the local organising committee and Deputy Director of Jiangsu Provincial Administration of Sports. &ldquo;The World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020 will be a gala that belongs to Nanjing, China, and the whole world. It will showcase Nanjing's image as an innovative, dynamic city of sports, and the sportsmanship of athletes all over the world.&rdquo;
China has previously hosted senior and age-group outdoor track and field World Athletics Series competitions, as well as the World Cross Country Championships, World Half Marathon Championships and World Race Walking Team Championships. But next year&rsquo;s World Athletics Indoor Championships, set to take place from 13-15 March, will be the first time China has hosted an indoor World Athletics Series competition.
It will also be the most important World Athletics event of 2020 ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
<h3>Mascot design competition</h3>
The local organising committee also launched their mascot competition at today&rsquo;s ceremony, inviting designs from fans all around the world.
The mascot should be a lively character, reflecting the spirit of Nanjing and the concepts of athletics. Designs should include a front view, two profile views and a back view.
The contest is open to individuals, companies and groups. Both electronic and paper submissions will be accepted. Entries close on 20 December 2019. <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=066ca3fe-4657-4a57-a19b-73802269e0b4.pdf&amp;urlSlug=world-athletics-indoor-championships-nanjing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full rules</a>.
LOC for World Athletics

Preparations for the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2020 stepped up a notch on Wednesday (4) as the event’s emblem and slogan were unveiled, marking 100 days to go until the sport’s next big global competition.

Emblem and slogan for World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing unveiled

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