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The Chinese government's sports governing body, the Chinese Athletic Association (CAA), announced on Dec. 5 that they has proposed to ban smoking in all Chinese marathons.

The move comes after a Chinese runner went viral online for chain-smoking a pack of cigarettes while finishing a 42.195km Xin’anjiang Marathon within three and a half hours on Nov. 6.

No smoking in marathons

Following the widespread media attention on the 50-year-old Chinese runner known as "Uncle Chen", the association issued a “Marathon Civilised and Healthy Participation” proposal that requires participants in marathons to abide to no smoking laws in public places, according to Sixth Tone, a Chinese state-owned English-language magazine. They are also required to "be civilised, healthy, and positive". 

After 50-year-old marathoner Chen Bangxian went viral for chain-smoking his way through a November race, the Chinese Athletic Association issued a proposal on Monday that would require marathon runners to abide by no-smoking regulations in public places. pic.twitter.com/U6zWPIxIKb

— Sixth Tone (@SixthTone) December 8, 2022

In addition, the proposal said marathons are meant to be activities that promote healthy living, and that smoking during marathons not only affects one’s health, but also others in the vicinity.

The document points out that those who fail to abide by competition regulations will be disqualified as they should be doing their part to maintain “a civilised, healthy and fair competition environment”.

"Bad example"

While Chen's behaviour has become a popular topic of discussion abroad, not all Chinese locals are happy about it.

Sina Weibo reported that the actions of “Smoking Brother”, a nickname given to Chen, are not common, and should not be seen as a current phenomenon as many runners take part in marathons to better their health.

A journalist on Hunan media platform Rednet said that smoking has detrimental effects on one’s health and the emergence of “Smoking Brother” should not be condoned as it is "not civilised" and sets "a negative example". That his actions have spread to foreign media and gone viral is not something to be proud of as it is a form of "shame and embarrassment", the journalist writes.

A user on Weibo, looking at both sides of the discussion, said that those who disagree with Chen's behaviour usually point to health and responsibility reasons, while those who do not take issue with his actions say that marathons are held outdoors and smoking is a personal choice.

It is a well-known fact that smoking has negative implications on one's health, so while Chen is able to run fast while chain-smoking, it does not mean that he is healthy, the user says.

The implementation of the smoking ban could be a blow to the 50-year-old marathoner, who apparently only smokes while he runs, according to the Running Magazine.

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Top images via Weibo