African athletes caught up in China half marathon probe

The organisers of the Beijing Half Marathon have opened an investigation into allegations of race fixing involving Ethiopian and Kenyan athletes.

In footage that has gone viral on social media, Ethiopian athlete Dejene Hailu and Kenyan runners Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat appeared to intentionally let Chinese athlete He Jie win Sunday's half marathon.

The African trio seemed to slow down as they approached the finish line and repeatedly signalled He to overtake them to the finish line.

He, the 2023 Asian Games marathon gold medallist, was then congratulated by the three African athletes after he won the race by a second.

Some Chinese social media users have criticised He's win as "embarrassing" and unsportsmanlike, amid speculation that the race result was manipulated.

"We are investigating and will announce the results to the public once they are available," a representative of the Beijing Sports Bureau told AFP news agency on Monday.

The marathon's organiser also confirmed the investigation had been launched, AFP reported.

Neither He, Hailu, Keter or Mnangat have commented on the investigations.