Dalian Wanda Group, controlled by China's richest man Wang Jianlin, have signed a deal to sponsor marathon races with the world's top organiser, Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM).
Wanda's sports division and AbbottWMM signed a deal that will see Wanda hold three races in the Asia-Pacific region in the next 10 years, including one in China.
The AbbottWMM consist of six of the world's most well-known marathon races - Boston, Chicago, New York, Berlin, London and Tokyo.
"This is the right moment for a world marathon to come to China," Wang said.
The Marathon Singapore, an annual international marathon race operated by Wanda Sports subsidiary World Triathlon Corp (WTC), is likely to be a candidate for one of the events, Wanda said in a statement.
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Hugh Brasher, London Marathon race director, told reporters at the announcement that it may take several years before a Chinese city meets operational criteria to host a marathon event.
Wanda have helped lead China's push in to organised sports and sports marketing, as the government advances its goal of turning the sector into a 5 trillion yuan ($A950 billion) business by 2025.
