Turkey's bet on 'Davos of athletics': What lessons for Vietnamese sports tourism from Kaçkar by UTMB?

Early morning on the Ayder Plateau, where mist shrouds the majestic Kaçkar peaks, Turkey's Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak took the microphone and officially started Kaçkar by UTMB — a trail running event part of the UTMB World Series. No starting gun fired. No red finish line. Just 2,000 runners from 60 countries, many carrying dreams of conquering the Mont-Blanc circuit — the world's most prestigious trail running system built by UTMB Group over two decades. This is not a pure competition. It is a political product packaged in sports. When Minister Bak compared Ayder and Rize to Davos — the Swiss town synonymous with the World Economic Forum — that statement immediately defined the entire event. This is not a place to chase world records or crown champions. This is where Turkey wants to build a sports tourism destination, as the minister himself acknowledged: "Sports tourism brings significant earnings to the country." Context of the bet: Why Kaçkar? To truly understand the significance of this event, we need to look at the global trail running landscape. UTMB Group, the operator of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, France, has built an ecosystem of hundreds of events worldwide — the UTMB World Series. To qualify for the Mont-Blanc finals, runners don't need time standards per World Athletics rules. They need "Running Stones" — points accumulated from races within the system, converted into weighted lottery entries for Chamonix. Kaçkar by UTMB, in its second edition, is precisely such a lottery ticket. With 2,000 athletes from 60 countries, the event has achieved a number that many Southeast Asian trail races still dream of. But notably, the official press release mentions no competition results, finishing times, or any elite athlete names. Instead, what's emphasized is: the Minister's presence, the Governor of Rize Province, the Eastern Black Sea Development Agency (DOKA), and national sponsors like Turkish Airlines, TOGG (domestic electric vehicle brand), Turkcell, and Maxis. Branding is never bad. But as a journalist who has covered hundreds of races over 28 years, I recognize a concerning gap: if no finisher is named, we are evaluating a film based solely on its trailer. Power structure behind the start line Analyzing the organizational structure reveals three tiers of power operating Kaçkar by UTMB. The first tier is UTMB Group — the brand provider, technical standards setter, and Running Stones system operator. Race Director Johan Essl is not a local; he's UTMB's central representative. His presence at Ayder shows that Turkey isn't organizing an ordinary trail race — they're "importing" a global franchise. The second tier is Turkey's state apparatus — Ministry of Sports and Youth, Turkey's Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, Rize Provincial Governor, and DOKA. The interweaving of government bodies indicates this is a top-down driven project aimed at spreading economic benefits to the Eastern Black Sea region, an area not prominent on the international tourism map. The third tier is the sponsor coalition — Turkish Airlines, TOGG, Turkcell, Maxis. These are national brands, not local enterprises. They sponsor not for love of running, but for global television screens and images of the Ayder Plateau — described in the release as a "natural wonder" — appearing in millions of households. What can a Vietnamese runner learn from this? The answer lies in how a nation transforms a race into a soft power tool. Contrarian perspective: Don't equate 'organizational success' with 'athletic success' There's a trap that sports media, including in Vietnam, easily falls into: using scale to judge quality. When a race attracts thousands of runners, when a minister comes to speak, when major brands line up to sponsor — we easily believe it's a "successful sports event." But sports, at its core, remains about people. About an athlete surpassing their own limits. About a recorded time, an established record, a story of effort retold. Kaçkar by UTMB, at least through the official press release lens, provides none of these elements. What's noteworthy is that Rize's Governor himself acknowledged a troubling reality: "Last year, Kaçkar was hidden in fog and rain." That statement immediately raises questions about the event's feasibility. A trail race depends on high-altitude weather conditions — and climate change is making abnormal rain and floods more frequent in the Eastern Black Sea region. Additionally, the financial model based on public funding — DOKA, provincial budget, ministerial budget — is a double-edged sword. It ensures the event happens even when the free market isn't ready. But it also means any political or budget fluctuation could prevent a third edition from ever occurring. Lesson for Vietnam: When 'sports' is no longer sports Returning to the question I believe many sports policy makers in Vietnam are asking themselves: Can we build a "Davos of athletics" in Da Nang, Sapa, or Moc Chau? The short answer: Possible. But not in the way Turkey is doing it — at least not immediately. Vietnam has made commendable steps in combining sports and tourism. The Da Nang International Marathon, Dien - Cape Marathon, and trail races in Sapa have attracted international runners' attention. However, what we lack — and what Kaçkar by UTMB has achieved despite being only in its second edition — is a global brand ecosystem behind it. UTMB doesn't just sell races. UTMB sells a value system: Running Stones, Mont-Blanc qualification pathway, global runner community, and most importantly — a story runners can tell friends about "why I must get to Chamonix." Kaçkar is part of that story, and therefore, runners from 60 countries are willing to fly thousands of kilometers to participate. Vietnam needs to decide: Do we want to build our own sports tourism brand, or join an international franchise like UTMB World Series? Both paths are viable but require completely different strategies. If choosing the franchise path — as Turkey is doing with UTMB — we must accept that most brand value will belong to the international partner. If choosing self-build — as some Southeast Asian races are experimenting with — we need patience to build stories, time, and actual competition results, rather than just counting registration numbers. One final and perhaps most important point: When a minister holds a microphone at a running race, don't rush to believe it's pure sports. Ask: Who's speaking? Who's listening? And what happens after the microphone is turned off? Kaçkar by UTMB could be a success story. But it's a story about tourism, about public diplomacy, about national positioning — not about athletics. And that's a distinction anyone interested in Vietnamese sports must recognize, before we decide which direction to take.