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By Hong Duy  March 3, 2025 | 05:09 pm PT
Liao Xingxing (R) wears the same bib number as another runner at the Meishan Renshou Half Marathon on Feb. 23, 2025. Photos by Douyin
Social media influencer Liao Xingxing has been banned for life from the Meishan Renshou Half Marathon in China after being caught using a fake bib at the competition in Sichuan.
Liao completed the race on Feb. 23 unnoticed, but two days later, a viral video on Douyin, Chinese version of TikTok, exposed her wearing the same bib number as another runner. The clip showed two participants running with bib number C4567, with Liao, dressed in a pink top and blue pants, suspected of using a fake entry number. The controversy gained traction due to her status as a sports influencer with 15,000 followers.
Liao claimed she received the bib from a follower and was unaware it was a duplicate. According to VCT News, she believed she had been scammed by an anti-fan.
Meishan Renshou Half Marathon organizers, however, rejected her explanation, asserting that she printed the bib herself. As a result, they imposed a lifetime ban from the event and reported the case to the Chinese Athletics Federation (CAF), which may impose further sanctions.
Following the backlash, Liao locked her social media accounts and deleted all content related to the race. She had previously posted 361 videos on Douyin, amassing 219,000 likes, with most of her content focused on running.
The Meishan Renshou Half Marathon is China’s first Platinum Label competition recognized by World Athletics and was chosen by CAF as the national championship. The race is highly competitive, with over 150,000 applicants vying for limited spots, resulting in an acceptance rate of under 10%.
Bib-related controversies have been an issue in Chinese marathon competitions recently. At the 2025 Hong Kong Marathon, three Chinese runners, including the top two finishers in the men's half marathon, were disqualified for wearing inauthentic bibs.
