The Beijing Marathon is set to return at the end of October following last year's postponement ©Getty Images

The Beijing Marathon is set to return at the end of this month, after the Organising Committee gave the go ahead to 30,000 runners taking part.

As reported by China's official state news agency Xinhua, the mass competition is only open to permanent residents of the Chinese capital aged at least 20, and they will be required to stay in Beijing for 21 days before the event is held on October 31 as part of a host of COVID-19 mitigation measures in place.

They are also required to submit their health status on a daily basis over the three weeks, provide negative nucleic acid test certificates within 72 hours of the race and possess valid vaccination certification.

The elite competition will be open to domestic athletes on an invitational basis from the Organising Committee, who will all be required to enter a closed-loop management system.

The race will start in Tiananmen Square and finish at the Olympic Forest Park.

Last year's Beijing Marathon was cancelled for the first time since its inaugural edition in 1981 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kenya's Mathew Kisorio won the men's race the last time it was held in 2019 with a new course record of 2hrs 7mins 6secs, while Ethiopia's Sutume Asefa triumphed in the women's competition in 2:23:31.

Mathew Kisorio broke the Beijing Marathon course record in 2019 with a time of 2:07:06 ©Getty Images
Mathew Kisorio broke the Beijing Marathon course record in 2019 with a time of 2:07:06 ©Getty Images

The novel coronavirus originated in central China, and the country has imposed strict border controls and travel restrictions as part of its so-called zero-COVID strategy.

It has recorded just under 125,000 cases and 5,693 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

A number of high-profile international events, including Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics test events and World Championships in rowing and taekwondo, have been cancelled.

The National Games of China were staged in Shaanxi province last month, and test events for Beijing 2022 are set to include 10 international competitions, three training weeks and two domestic trials in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou before the end of the year.

Beijing is set to stage the Winter Olympics from February 4 to 20 next year, with only Chinese spectators set to be allowed to attend events and those not fully vaccinated having to serve a 21-day quarantine period upon arrival before entering the closed-loop management system.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said those fully vaccinated will immediately be able to enter the closed-loop management system.

A first edition of the "playbooks" outlining COVID-19 countermeasures is due to be released at the end of October.