Cutting corners: Sport officials build rectangular running circuit with 90-degree bends ahead of Chinese Communist Party visit because it was quicker than constructing an oval track

Bizarre circuit created by stadium managers ahead of an official inspection



Project was running behind schedule and the track had not been finished



Decision was taken to rush the process through - albeit with alterations

Rectangular running track was deemed quicker to build than an oval one

Bungling sport officials in China have built a rectangular running track because they were concerned they wouldn't get an oval one finished in time for a Communist Party inspection.

The bizarre circuit was built as a part of a major refurbishment of a 10,000 square foot stadium in Tonghe County in the north-eastern Heilongjiang province.

With the big-budget project running behind schedule and an inspection by notoriously finicky Communist Party officials imminent, managers made the decision to quite literally cut corners and create a running track with awkward 90-degree bends as they are easier to measure and lay out.

Rush: Stadium managers created the bizarre running track after a last-minute decision to inspect the behind-schedule project by notoriously finicky Communist Party officials

Almost everything about the stadium is impressive - from the the perfectly laid grass in the centre of the sports field to the massively improved seating facilities for spectators.

But there is one glaringly obvious issue making the sleek Tonghe County stadium one of the strangest in the world.

Locals invited to test the new running track for an episode of regional television programme Newsnight had little positive to say about its unorthodox design.

'It all looks jolly good - apart from the track which doesn’t really look up to standard,' The Telegraph quoted one woman as saying.

'It is strange indeed... Normally curves speed people up but these corners slow you down. It is quite inconvenient,' added another woman, who abandoned her lap after struggling with the corners.

Hurry: Keen to get the track finished by the time the inspectors arrived, stadium managers ordered right-angle bends to be built as they were quicker to measure and lay out than a curved circuit

The official explanation for the odd design of the track was that the original oval lane system had become so worn down that it could no longer be used as a template for repainting.

A last-minute decision by Communist Party officials to visit the site meant the lanes had to be recreated in a hurry, and it was decided there was not enough time to measure out an oval circuit.

Even stadium managers agree that the unorthodox design is unlikely to catch on, however.

'In order to get it ready for the leaders, we painted it like that... We think it is ugly too but if the leaders don’t ask us to change it, what are we supposed to do?' one was quoted as saying.

Not impressed: Locals invited to test the new running track for an episode of regional television programme Newsnight (pictured) had little positive to say about its unorthodox design

Risk: Despite being the butt of many jokes, some experts have raised concerns about the design. They say it could cause serious injury to athletes - particularly when they rapidly slow down to make a sharp turn

After appearing on the Newsnight show, the designers of the Tonghe County running track were widely ridiculed on Chinese social media website Weibo.

Despite being the butt of many jokes, some experts have raised concerns about the design, saying it presents a risk of serious injury to athletes.

One theory is that it could cause career-threatening muscle damage when competitors hastily slow down to make the sharp turns, while another focuses on the increased risk of head collisions.