CHINA is the laughing stock of the athletics world after building a running track with right-angled corners.

Officials in the country’s northeast revamped a large stadium, including a new artificial grass football pitch in the middle, but botched the accompanying running track, big time.

The track’s designers mistakenly painted four 90-degree corners onto the track’s surface, rather than the usual curved bends.

media_camera Fast times could be a problem at this Chinese running track.

A stadium official reportedly told TV show Newsnight that the original track had once featured curves but that it required an upgrade because of overuse.

The new track was painted when Communist Party leaders announced a last-minute visit to the stadium.

“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?” the official was quoted as saying.

Local sporting authorities were unsurprisingly scathing in their assessment of their new facility.

“Right angle corners will slow a runner down and stop them achieving good results,” head of Heilongjiang’s Track and Field Sports Administration, Li Yuxue, said.

Originally published as Crazy China track builders round the bend