Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport, Stuart Ayres said the Festival attracts significant interest across Asia, with 500 athletes travelling to compete from China alone.

“It’s one of the world’s most scenic running events, and with the CCTV broadcast we can expect the event to grow in popularity,” Mr Ayres said.

“The event shows Sydney in its finest light, taking in some of our most spectacular and historic landmarks, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens, the historic Rocks area and Centennial Park. Having this incredible course showcased to a potential audience of over one billion people is a huge coup for the State.”

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Chipchase said the CCTV agreement will see Sydney promoted in a key inbound visitor market.

“China is our largest inbound international tourism market, and coverage on China’s TV network will provide another boost to visitation. In the year ended June 2016, NSW welcomed 639,000 visitors from China, a rise of 21 per cent on the previous year.”

The Sydney Running Festival is supported by the NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Sydney Running Festival Event Director, Wayne Larden said the 2016 Festival promises to be the best yet.

“In addition to the travelling Chinese contingent, more than 700 runners are coming from Japan and a combined total of more than 5,000 from interstate and overseas. The Blackmores Sydney Marathon is now an IAAF Gold Label Marathon, so it attracts some of the best athletes in the world. Combine that with our beautiful city and we expect strong growth for many years to come.”

The Sydney Running Festival is held on Sunday 18 September. More information on the event can be found at sydneyrunningfestival.com.au

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