Organisers of the Beijing half marathon have revoked He Jie’s first place after an investigation confirmed that Kenya’s Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat and Ethiopia’s Dejene Hailu slowed down to let him win the race.
The four athletes have been disqualified and had to return their medals and prize money.
The footage showed the three runners letting He, China’s top long-distance runner, move ahead of them shortly before they were about to reach the finish line.
The three runners deliberately reduced their pace, according to a statement from a committee set up to investigate the race. The special committee said that four runners had originally been hired as pacemakers by a sponsor but that the main organisers of the race had not known this. One of the pacemakers didn’t finish the race.
The statement did not acknowledge whether the race was rigged, but it did issue an apology. “We deeply and sincerely apologise to the world and to every part of society, that we did not discover and correct the mistakes in time at this race,” the committee said.
The race organisers, Zhong’ao Lupao Sports Management Co, were also stripped their rights as event hosts of the Beijing Half Marathon as punishment.
He Jie is China’s marathon National record holder.
