'Is it a woman?' Outrage erupts → Male athlete substitutes for female marathon winner in 'shameless scheme'... 'Only to earn 210,000 won'

*This content was translated by AI.

Absurd match-fixing in which a man ran in place of a woman to win a marathon has been uncovered, causing a major scandal. The organizing committee has taken strong action, permanently banning the athletes involved.

According to recent reports by local media outlets including China's 'Sina Sports' and 'QQ', it was revealed late that Shuang Moyun, who took first place in the women's half marathon at the 2026 Henan Anyang Marathon held in March, had fielded a male substitute runner.

The incident came to light on the 14th, about 20 days after the event concluded, when the organizing committee officially announced the list of local winners in Henan Anyang. Chinese netizens raised strong doubts after photos were released of Shuang Moyun (bib number D81548, time 1 hour 29 minutes 5 seconds), who was announced as the first-place winner in the local category of the women's half marathon.

According to on-site photos released by netizens, the runner wearing the women's bib number D81548 on their chest was none other than a burly man. The man crossed the finish line wearing athletic clothing and holding a mobile phone in his hand. He passed through multiple stages, including the podium ceremony and post-race verification, without facing any penalties.

As the controversy spread, the Anyang Marathon organizing committee launched a detailed investigation and announced via an official statement that it had confirmed that a total of three athletes, including Shuang Moyun, had transferred their bib numbers to others.

The committee stated, "We are stripping the results and rankings of Shuang Moyun and two others who violated regulations by substituting runners and transferring bib numbers." It further announced, "We are imposing a lifetime ban on these three athletes from participating in the Anyang Marathon and have requested additional disciplinary action from the Chinese Athletics Association." The prize money of 1,000 yuan (approximately 210,000 won) that Shuang Moyun had won in the Anyang city local category was also confiscated.

As criticism over the organizing committee's lax management intensified, a committee official explained in an interview with 'Hongxing News' that "the number of half marathon participants reached as many as 20,000, but the number of checkpoint personnel was insufficient." The official added, "The runners' passing speed was so fast that there were limits to verifying identities one by one on-site." The official also noted, "It is true that such problems are difficult to avoid in large-scale marathon events."

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*This content was translated by AI.