Ambassador of Kazakhstan to China Shakhrat Nuryshev (second from right) at the event Photo: Courtesy of the Kazakh Embassy in China

The highly anticipated event, the 2023 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Kunming Marathon was held on December 31, 2023, in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province. 

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to China Shakhrat Nuryshev attended the opening ceremony and award ceremony of the marathon, representing the presidency of the SCO. In July, Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of the SCO for the 2023-2024 period.

The SCO Kunming Marathon has been running for seven years, since 2016. Participants range from amateur runners to professional athletes of all ages, and people with disabilities. 
 
There were around 15,000 participants in the marathon, and 96 foreign runners registered for the event from Malaysia, Germany, Jordan, the Philippines, Ireland, Belarus, Japan and South Africa.

An Ethiopian man and a Chinese Yunnan runner won the men's and women's full marathon championships, respectively.

The event was organized by the Yunnan Province Sport Bureau, the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Yunnan Province and the Government of Kunming City.