Beijing, China – Asian Premier Marathons (APM), a new marathon league jointly established by Infront China and the Beijing, Beirut and Seoul Marathons, under the leadership of Asian Athletic Association (AAA), has officially been launched in Beijing today.
As a shareholder and operator of APM, Infront China will handle all marketing initiatives and communications including the commercialisation of sponsorship opportunities among the member events with the leadership and support of AAA. By leveraging the strengths of the event operators in TV broadcasting and media communication, APM events will be broadcast live across all member countries and territories to increase the continental and international influence of the events.
Anne Zhao, Managing Director of Infront China: ”From the iconic Happy 10k races, to half marathon and eventually to marathon this year, Infront China has put a focus on Active Lifestyle & Endurance events. The official launch of APM today, 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.”
No.1 continental marathon event in the world
APM, as the first-ever continental marathon event league in the world, is a pioneer in the endurance sector in Asia. It will raise the competition level and international appeal of marathon events in Asia as well as attract more high-level Asian athletes to participate in top-tier APM events.
Dahlan Al-Hamad, President of AAA: “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.”
Wang Nan, Vice President of Chinese Athletic Association: “The APM series will kick off with the Beijing Marathon this year. The partnership between APM and Beijing Marathon will help to raise the competition level of Chinese and Asian runners as well as to promote local marathon events.”
Kick-off with Beijing Marathon on 17 September
The APM event year is a series which starts and finishes with the same city race. The 2017/18 season will kick-off with the Beijing Marathon on 17 September 2017, followed by Beirut Marathon in November, Seoul Marathon in March, and again with the Beijing Marathon 2018.
About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, is one of the most respected sports marketing companies in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with close to 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Holding, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.
