体坛英语新闻：Georgia stages Wings for Life World Run

TBILISI, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Thousands running fans from in and outside Georgia on Sunday took part in the Georgian section of the initial Wings for Life World Run.

All application fees, over 11 U.S. dollars from each applicant, are pledged for the research and recovery of spinal diseases and disabilities. Quite some Georgians donated their contribution in the form of application fees and they did not factually run the race on Sunday. Still quite some of them lined the sealed-off highway to watch and root for the race.

The Wings for Life World Run was initiated by Britain's Olympic sprinter Colin Jackson who proposed a special racing format.

Some 220 Georgian athletes responded Colin Jackson by joining the first ever Wings for Life race, including Georgia's NBA hoopster Zaza Pachulia, Georgia's national rugby captain Irakli Machkhaneli, Georgia's national football player brothers Achi and Shota Arveladze, Georgia's track sprinter Maia Azarashvili.

The Wings for Life World Run requires all of this year's 35 participating countries to start their race at exactly the same time. All races have starting lines with no finishing line.

Thirty minutes after all runners set out, an official organizer Catcher Car starts to catch up with runners. The first runners caught up by the Catcher Car should finish their race while the last runners caught up by the Catcher Car would be declared winners of the race.

The runners, one woman and one man, with the longest elapsed time for being caught up by Catcher Cars would be designated the ambassadors of spinal disease and disability research and recovery foundation.

The winners from Georgia would be given rights to choose their race in next year's Wings for Life World Run.

In Georgia there are between 13,000 and 15,000 spinally-disabled people confined to wheelchairs, according to race organizers in the South Caucasus country.