MetaSports Marathon changes Hue people's thinking about sports

- How has Hue's sport and tourism movement developed in the past 3 years, when the first MetaSports Marathon was held here?

MetaSports Marathon Hue was held for the first time in December 2020, at that time nearly 5,000 athletes ran across Truong Tien Bridge, Thien Mu Pagoda, Quoc Hoc school... and finished at Phu Van Lau. The award has left many impressions as well as created a new vitality for the locality - which has just experienced difficulties due to natural disasters, storms and floods.

From nearly 5,000 athletes participating in the first season, in 2023 the scale of the tournament increases to 10,500, of which more than 2,000 runners are in Hue. This proves that, since MetaSports Marathon came to Hue, the local running movement has grown strongly.

MetaSports Marathon Imperial Hue is a new breeze blowing into the running movement of the ancient capital, contributing to changing people's thinking about sports. Many other tournaments ranging in size from a few hundred to several thousand people have been held continuously, creating a playground for the community. In the past 3 years, the number of people who want to practice and compete has increased, including many different backgrounds and ages. The park along the banks of the Perfume River becomes a place for people to walk, run, and cycle every morning and late afternoon.

MetaSports Marathon Hue is not only one of the major local sports events, but also an event that attracts and brings tourists to Hue. The track runs through many historical sites and landscapes, which have contributed to promoting tourism in Hue, creating a driving force for tourism development in the locality. As in 2022, in one week of the tournament, the number of visitors to Hue is more than 20,000 people, the revenue from tourism is more than 41 billion VND. Hue is more known by tourists and friends.

Many new restaurants have been opened, food and entertainment venues have changed and improved in service. Understanding the needs of athletes when coming to Hue, the province's tourism industry has launched many programs, calling for travel agencies to make promotional tours to serve runners and relatives when participating in the MetaSports Marathon.

This year, many business households and hotels have registered for accommodation support programs for athletes participating in the tournament. Hue has more than 350 households volunteering to provide free public toilets for tourists. The city as well as the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province are devoting all efforts to jointly improve the quality of the organization and improve the infrastructure, in order to bring the participants of the MetaSports Marathon a complete tournament. good in every way.

- Compared to the MetaSports Marathon Imperial Hue in 2020 and 2022, what has changed in the running quality this year?

This year, the Hue city government plans to review the routes serving the MetaSports Marathon running early. The park along the Perfume River has been embellished and planted with more flowers. Some central roads are widened, such as Hanoi road. Hai Ba Trung Street is also paved with stone to build a new pedestrian street. Le Duan street, the entrance to Nha Do door has been paved with stone pavement.

To Huu Street is more than 60m wide and 2km long, which is one of the important routes of the April 16 race that has been renovated and rebuilt. The drainage system that intersects To Huu Street with Vo Van Kiet Street is being accelerated construction.

- In your opinion, what does organizing the MetaSports Marathon in Hue mean to local people?

The locality is striving to become a city directly under the Central Government by 2025 according to Resolution 54 of the Politburo. From the land known as the "early bed" city with mausoleums and temples, in recent years Hue urban area has been lively, bustling, modern, civilized and changing day by day with the constructions of the city. traffic infrastructure projects, such as Thuan An estuary bridge, Perfume river crossing bridge...

After three years of MetaSports Marathon coming to Hue, the tournament has had a great impact in the community, building a love of sports for the public. In the past, very few people went to the banks of the Perfume River to play and exercise, but now it is very different. A series of parks and roads along the Perfume River have been embellished by the city, lit up at night and arranged sports equipment at many points to serve the people. In the past three years, this place has become a fun destination for residents and visitors, which is a big change.

Over the past three years, the locality has determined that the MetaSports Marathon Hue is a big event that attracts tourists to Hue and generates income for a part of the people. The tournament has added new energy and breath to the sport movement in Hue in particular and the whole country in general, bringing many values ​​to society.

We always follow closely, accompany the organizers, ensure infrastructure, resources, on-site forces, ensure security and order... contributing to bringing a good image of the event to the public. , bringing Hue's image closer to international friends, helping to increase prestige among the parties, and the people themselves benefit from this.

- What suggestions do you have for the further development of mass sports tournaments?

When the mass sports movement tends to increase sharply in the number of running tournaments, the number of people participating in training..., the division and screening will take place extremely sharply. Therefore, only tournaments that really focus on organization, eligibility, validity and safety can attract those who want to conquer.

Organizers should coordinate with the locality to conduct a thorough survey, have a methodical plan, and a clear direction to bring about valuable, attractive and high-quality products. Localities also need to promote attention and coordination so that the movement tournaments take place in a methodical and professional manner, bringing absolute safety to participants.

Thua Thien Hue is honored to be in the prestigious MetaSports Marathon series. With creativity and professionalism, I hope that the organizers will bring many interesting and attractive things to athletes through each season, so that each athlete not only comes to Hue once, but also comes back. many more times. I hope the tournament will be of international stature, attracting more high-achieving foreign runners.