The 3rd China Marathon Expo kicks off in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on Jan 3, attracting more than 200 well-known sports enterprises. [Photo by Lin Shanchuan/Xinhua]

The 4th China Marathon Expo will be held in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province in January 2020, according to a release by the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) on Oct 10.

The China Marathon Expo, sponsored by CAA, has been held annually in Xiamen since 2016. It is a national industrial exhibition which aims to promote cooperation and exchange between marathon sports and accelerate the development of China's marathon industry.

The 4th edition is scheduled to be hosted in early January 2020 and will feature eight themed exhibitions focusing on running competitions, event service providers, running equipment, smart sports, physical health, sports tourism, event sponsors, and sports media.

In addition, it will highlight the integration of the industrial chain of marathon resources and promote international cooperation and exchange to boost China's marathon industry. The event will also strive to integrate the development of marathons with several related industries in order to set up a new and interactive "marathon +" development mechanism.

The 3rd China Marathon Expo, held in Xiamen on Jan 3, 2019, occupied 26,000 square meters. Xiamen, the host city of the expo and the Xiamen International Marathon, was given the honorary title of "Marathon City" by the CAA in 2018, the first such designation in the country.