BELGRADE, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The Belgrade Marathon has become part of the Belt and Road Marathon Series initiated by Chinese Athletics Association in 2016 and operated by Wisdom Sports Group from China.

The Belgrade Marathon and the Wisdom Sports signed the agreement on Friday, one day before the start of the 31st Belgrade Marathon with around 7,000 participants from more than 70 countries and regions.

Kevin Li, a representative of the Wisdom Sports, said that the company organizes around 30 marathons every year, and that today's agreement aims to expand the cooperation between the two countries to the area of sports.

"The Belt and Road Marathon Series is unlike the six major marathons in the world, as it does not focus on the competition level, but more on friendship, cultural exchange and promote economic growth," he added.

"Through this cooperation we hope that more people will get to know Serbia and Belgrade, and maybe some of them would like to run at this event next year," Li concluded.

Dejan Nikolic, the director of Belgrade Marathon, said that agreement offers various opportunities and ways of cooperation, with the aim to attract a significant number of runners from China.