Tanzania launches Belt and Road Relay supported by Standard Chartered Bank

The Standard Chartered Bank in Tanzania launched its Belt and Road Relay on April 14, the first-ever global running event on the back of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The launch of the Belt and Road Relay by Standard Chartered Bank in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam made Tanzania the 31st host of the Belt and Road Relay which was flagged off by the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Wang Ke. The relay was led by eight staff athletes from Standard Chartered Bank, selected from the bank's diverse footprint in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.

The athletes were expected to participate in running events across 44 Belt and Road markets within a 90-day period. The Standard Chartered Bank Belt and Road Relay kick started in Hong Kong on February 17, 2019, in conjunction with the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, which is one of the biggest sports events in the city with over 74,000 runners, and will end in China on May 11, 2019 after the Belt and Road Forum, said organizers.

The organizers said the Belt and Road Relay challenge was geared towards highlighting the Standard Chartered Bank's continued commitment to Belt and Road Initiative, and the positive impact of the initiative to communities and businesses globally, as reported by Xinhua.

Sanjay Rughani, Standard Chartered Bank's Chief Executive Officer for Tanzania, said the Belt and Road Initiative was the most ambitious and far-reaching project of its kind in the world today.

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