Liu, Sixi and Lu, Zhouxiang
(2023)
A Critical Analysis of China’s Marathon Industry.
Asian Journal of Sport History & Culture, 2 (1).
pp. 63-85.
ISSN 2769-0148
Abstract
In the global wave of neoliberalism, different countries and regions have carried out different degrees of economic reform based on neoliberal thought. In this reform process, China has gradually developed a socialist market economy system through parallel market and government mechanisms. In the context of the rapid expansion of the sports market, marathon has grown into one of the largest single sports events in China. This study examines the development of Chinese marathon, analysing how the key neoliberalism concepts such as market fundamentalism and personal responsibility affect Chinese marathon industry. The research shows that, with the implementation of reform and opening-up, the relevant policy guidance for marathon is influenced by neoliberal principles such as minimum government intervention and market fundamentalism. The wave of neoliberalism also led to the rise of individualism and encouraged personal health management. The popularity of marathon among the public and the use of market-oriented policies showed huge industrial potential, which attracted many cities and enterprises to enter the marathon. All these factors contributed to the development of marathon in China. However, various problems have emerged in the meantime. Besides the lack of industry supervision, the neoliberal concept of rational egoism could be used to explain the unqualified event management by government agencies and private enterprises.
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