Kaohsiung's Fengshan Marathon apologizes for PLA rifle trophies

Taipei, March 16 (CNA) The organizers of Sunday's Fengshan Marathon in Kaohsiung have apologized for giving out trophies shaped like a People's Liberation Army (PLA) rifle.

Fengshan Road Running Association said in a statement that it originally chose the design for the trophies because the 2025 edition of the annual marathon passed through three military academies.

However, the association said it recognized the choice was "inconsiderate" and had apologized to those who received the trophies.

The association added that it would contact all trophy recipients to replace PLA rifle-shaped trophies with alternatives.

The statement was issued after one of the participants of Sunday's marathon posted a photograph of the trophy and joked about how it was shaped like a PLA rifle.

The poster said that choosing a trophy shaped like an enemy rifle was particularly questionable given the race passed through three Taiwanese military academies.

The three military academies are R.O.C Military Academy, Army Infantry Training Command and Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School, all of which are located near each other in Fengshan District.

Military experts identified the trophy as shaped like the PLA's Type 95 automatic rifle. The rifle, also known as QBZ-95, has been the service rifle of the PLA since 1995.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's military told CNA that it was not involved in the running of the race and would remind event organizers not to make similar mistakes in the future.