XIAMEN, South China, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- London and Chicago Marathons, two World Marathon Majors, will apply for IAAF's platinum label, said their top officials during Xiamen Marathon, which was held here Sunday.
Michael Nishi, General Manager of Chicago Marathon, said they would apply for the platinum label and will "definitely meet the standard and we just need to go through the process."
"We know we'll meet those standards and requirement, because we helped to create the criteria for the platinum label," said Nishi.
His confidence was echoed by Lisa Thompson, race director of the London Marathon for the same reason.
Both Nishi and Thompson came to the Xiamen race to help it meet the requirement and standards for the IAAF's upcoming platinum label, which will be designated in 2020.
Xiamen Marathon is the first to apply for IAAF Platinum Label road race around the globe. The new label requires a minimum of 50 contenders who rank top 200 on IAAF World Rankings or top 100 of Asia.
Thompson said they would give some advice to Xiamen's organizers and they were also glad to learn from each other.
"There are a few things in Xiamen that I'm thinking to take back to London. It is a great thing for us to share and make the running events better around the world, to improve everything for everyone," said Thompson.
