by sportswriters Li Chunyu and Yang Boyi

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- As an integral part of Beijing Marathon's classic route, the central avenue between the capital city's iconic "dual Olympic" venues "Bird's Nest" and "Water Cube" has been an attraction for runners.

On Saturday morning, a running event with about 500 participants started here on the avenue, which was one of the fitness-for-all activities held nationwide to celebrate the upcoming International Olympic Day falling on Monday.

The 4.5-kilometer race took place mainly around the National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest" where both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics were staged. The finish line was near the Beijing Olympic Museum located south of the stadium.

Wang Shuchuan, a former Chinese triathlete, came to the starting area early in the morning to prepare for his vlog. "I kept exercising and participating in marathon events after my athlete career. I hope to lead more people to join in sporting events through my videos and enlarge our running community," he said.

The race also attracted Italy's Paola Marras to enjoy running at the Beijing Olympic Park. She said, "I work in Beijing. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, I watched competitions on TV. The sports atmosphere in Beijing is good, and I like the [tennis] China Open in particular."

During the activity, Chinese Olympic champions Ma Long and Zhang Yufei sent their best wishes to sports lovers in an interview.

"Physical exercises are relevant to health. I can feel the public's enthusiasm for sports. The outstanding performance of Chinese athletes on the international stage inspired more people to get involved. Doing exercises is a lifelong hobby. I hope people can find the sports they love and practice in a healthy and scientific way," said 36-year-old table tennis player Ma, China's most decorated Olympian with six gold medals.

Star swimmer Zhang reflected her Olympic journey, saying, "At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, I might not have fully understood the significance of Olympics for athletes. Then, after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, I felt the power of our team work. Last year at the Paris Olympics, I realized that even though I had made utmost efforts in 100 percent, it was still hard to get corresponding rewards. That is sports."

"However, what remains unchanged is that the Olympic spirit leads me to pursue my next goal," Zhang added.

Established in 1948, the Olympic Day is a global celebration of sport and takes place on June 23 each year to commemorate the day the International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 - the birth of the modern Olympic Games.

With the theme of "Let's Move," the celebrating activities of Olympic Day were held in 12 cities in China on Saturday, also including Shenzhen, Nanjing, Ningbo, Zhangjiakou and Chengde. A variety of activities such as hiking, running, cycling, football, basketball and table tennis had a wide participation all over the country.

Li Jing, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China, said, "At the Paris Olympics, the Chinese delegation achieved its best results in the history of participating in the Olympics abroad, which interpreted the Olympic motto of 'Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together' and demonstrated the confidence, optimism, passion, and friendliness of Chinese youth."

"Those remarkable moments of Chinese athletes at the Olympics motivated more people to embrace sports activities. Looking ahead, we hope the Chinese sports spirit will continue to shine at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics," Li noted. ■