From Xiamen to Lausanne
By Daisy Photos by Yao Fan
上月末,两尊名为“永不止步”的厦门马拉松雕塑跨越欧亚大陆,在瑞士洛桑的国际奥林匹克博物馆安家.本月24日,厦门市长张昌平将出席在瑞士洛桑为这两尊来自厦门的马拉松雕塑举行的揭幕仪式.本期焦点关注厦门马拉松与国际奥林匹克博物馆结缘的幕后故事.
A letter of appreciation from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge arrived on the doormat of Xiamen Mayor Zhang Changping’s office on March 20th. In the letter, Rogge expressed his thanks for Xiamen’s generous donation of two statues to the Olympic Museum. “It is with great pleasure that the International Olympic Committee accepts two of the statues from the group entitled 'Never Stopping'. Your kind donation is very much appreciated.” He also invited Mayor Zhang to attend the presentation ceremony at the Olympic Museum on April 24.

“Never Stopping”
Xiamen International Marathon has been one of the most influential international marathons and a symbol of Xiamen since it began. To enhance its influence and to beautify the city, Xiamen Municipal Government decided to build a set of marathon statues along the Island Ring Road as monuments to the marathon.
Design started in July 2004. After nine months of work by the artists, the full series of statues, named “Never Stopping”, went on display in March, 2005. Shortly after the statues were unveiled, International Olympic Committee member Mr. Wu Jingguo visited Xiamen with a delegation from the Taiwan Marathon. He was very much impressed at the sight of the 99 lifelike statues of marathon athletes, cheerleaders, journalists and photographers. “Wu Jingguo was very excited at the sight of the statues and made a report to the IOC,” recalls Zhao Xiaobo, Deputy Secretary for Xiamen Urban Planning Bureau and head of the Xiamen Sculpture Office.
The IOC were very positive in their response, expressing the hope that Xiamen would donate some of the marathon statues to the Olympic Museum, which was collecting a large range of Olympic souvenirs. Xiamen Municipal Government selected eight statues as representative, and sent their pictures and specifications to the IOC, where president Rogge finally picked two for the Museum. The two selected are the statues wearing No. 655 and No. 935, a woman running as hard as she can and a running man checking his wristwatch.
The statues sent to Lausanne are copies of the original works. They are made of bronze and are about 1.2 times life size, approximately 2.2 and 2.3 meters in height. Artist She Guofu, a sculptor at the Xiamen Institute of Art and Design, said he wanted to use the statues to portray the Olympic spirit giving all you have to achieve success. "I believe that Rogge chose these two statues because they are very Chinese and represent the athletic body."

Xiamen ambassadors
Zhao Xiaobo says, “The marathon statues show Xiamen’s spirit. The Marathon is more than a mere sport event; it is an expression of Xiamen’s life and energy. Xiamen Municipal Government decided to erect the “Never Stopping” statues to show the vibrant and enterprising Xiamen spirit and to confirm the government’s determination to hold the Xiamen International Marathon every year.”
“There are many marathons worldwide, but marathon statues are rare. Statues that have been selected by the IOC are a true badge of honor. These two marathon statues are the pride of Xiamen. They will increase Xiamen International Marathon’s international influence and promote Xiamen sports and Xiamen art,” says He Xi, Deputy Secretary of Xiamen Sports Bureau. She Guofu wanted the statues to represent Xiamen.“I used the body shape of local Xiamenese people for the statues, so the two statues running in Lausanne are real Xiamen ambassadors.”

Olympic milestone
The new home of Xiamen’s marathon statues is the Olympic Museum. The museum allows visitors to relive all the momentous occasions in the Games' history, using real images and footage and hi-tech enhancements. On April 24, 2006, the presentation ceremony will be held in the presence of China Olympic Committee Honorary President He Zhenliang and Xiamen Mayor Zhang Changping.
The creator She Guofu is explaining the meaning of the statues to an audience.Photo by Zheng Xian
No. 935, to be displayed at Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

Olympic Museum

The current museum, which grew out of a collection dating back to 1915, opened in 1993 and has more than 87,000 objects in a modern, well-equipped building on the shores of Lake Geneva. The Olympic Museum Lausanne's exhibits span a range of more than
2,200 years, starting with the ancient Greek games and continuing with the modern Olympic Games from 1896 to the present day.
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne

Xiamen International Marathon

Xiamen International Marathon is a top class sporting event sponsored by the Chinese Athletic Association and local government. The first marathon was held in 2003, and four annual events have been held since. The competition is held on the last weekend of March every year. Athletes from all over the world and local residents have taken part enthusiastically since the beginning. Winning times have been improving as the level of athletes competing has risen.
XIM Events & Awards
●Marathon Event: 5km race, 10km race, half marathon, full marathon (42.195km)
●Competition Awards: The Competition Awards will be granted to the first ten male finishers and the first ten female finishers. The prizes for the first 3 male finishers are USD $25,000, $15,000 and
$8,000; the prizes for the first 3 female finishers are USD $20,000, $10,000 and $6,000.
●World Best Award: $500,000
No. 655, sprinting for the finish.
2006 XI