Three African athletes are being probed by organisers of the Beijing half marathon over allegations that they intentionally allowed Chinese runner He Jie win Sunday’s race.
Footage appears to show Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat as well as Ethiopia’s Dejene Hailu pointing to the line and urging the Chinese runner to go past them as they slowed down.
Jie finished a second ahead of the trio, who all tied tied for second place.
Officials say they are investigating the incident and will provide information once concluded.
A Chinese sports brand who sponsored the event have also said they are looking closely at the situation and information will be provided as soon as possible.
Jie is his country’s record holder in the event. He won gold in the same event at last year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou..
World Athletics, the sport’s governing body says they are aware of the incident and are working with local authorities in investigating the situation. “The integrity of our sport is the highest priority at World Athletics, while this investigation is ongoing, we are unable to provide further comment.” It said in a statement to journalists