The Samarkand Marathon has become the first in the CIS to receive the prestigious World Athletics Elite Label status
The international charity race Samarkand Marathon has received the prestigious World Athletics Elite Label status, becoming the first competition of this level in the CIS countries. This recognition confirms the marathon's compliance with international standards for organizing road races. This was reported by the press service of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan (ACDF), which acts as the organizer of the event. The Elite Label status is awarded to competitions that meet the high requirements of World […]
Samarkand Marathon becomes first in the CIS to be awarded the prestigious World Athletics Elite Label status
The Samarkand Marathon international charity run has received the prestigious World Athletics Elite Label status, becoming the first competition of this level in the CIS countries. This recognition confirms that the marathon meets international standards for road race organization.
This was reported by the press service of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan (ACDF), which is the organizer of the event.
The Elite Label status is awarded to competitions that meet the high requirements of World Athletics in terms of sports organization, participant safety, and anti-doping control. Furthermore, the results of professional athletes competing in such races count toward the world rankings.
Notably, the Samarkand Marathon received the Elite category immediately, bypassing the entry-level Label tier. The World Athletics Label Road Races program also includes Gold and Platinum categories.
The granting of this international status opens up new opportunities to attract top track and field athletes, expand the international competition calendar, strengthen partnerships, and promote Uzbekistan as a sports tourism destination.
A special highlight of the marathon will be the participation of four-time Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah. On November 8, the legendary British athlete will officially start the competition. His achievements also include six World Championship titles and nine European Championship titles. The athlete's main accomplishments are associated with the 5,000 and 10,000 meter distances.
Securing the World Athletics Elite Label status for the Samarkand Marathon marks an important step in the development of Uzbekistan's running culture and the strengthening of the country's position on the international sports arena.