Wuhan's sports events are wonderful and non-stop throughout the year.

On December 9, 2025, the Wuhan Municipal Sports Bureau and the Central Radio and Television Station Sports Youth Program Center signed a three-year strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing, marking a new chapter in the in-depth collaboration between Wuhan's sports events and national media platforms. Over the next three years, the Central Radio and Television Station Sports Youth Program Center will provide focused support for the promotion of Wuhan's flagship events, including the Wuhan Marathon, Wuhan Open Tennis Championship, and Optics Valley Marathon.

In recent years, Wuhan has focused on building a "W (World-class), C (National-level), Han (City-specific)" brand sports event system, advancing the integrated development of localized, professionalized, and internationalized sports events. As part of its efforts to establish itself as a "renowned sports event city," Wuhan has meticulously crafted a four-season IP event matrix: the Wuhan Marathon in spring, the Yangtze River Crossing Festival in summer, the Wuhan Open (tennis) in autumn, and the Winter Ice & Snow Season in winter. At the signing ceremony, the Wuhan Sports Bureau promoted nationwide its dynamic sports event ecosystem characterized by "events in every season, year-round excellence."

As the benchmark of Wuhan's spring sports event IP, the 2026 Wuhan Marathon will be held in the blooming spring month of March. Since its inception in 2016, the Wuhan Marathon has evolved into a "Double Gold" Race—a Gold Label Race certified by the Chinese Athletic Association and an IAAF Gold Label Race—and was selected as one of China's 2025 Top Sports Tourism Events.

In 2025, over 450,000 runners vied for spots in the marathon, setting a new domestic record for marathon applications. By March 2025, 40,000 runners from 54 countries and regions gathered in the river city, traversing the marathon's breathtaking course that winds through "one city, two rivers, three towns, four bridges, and five lakes" against a backdrop of cherry blossoms, creating a romantic athletic spectacle. Approximately 71,000 tourists traveled to Wuhan following the marathon, immersing themselves in the city's historical heritage and modern vitality. The event generated an economic impact of 975 million yuan, showcasing the powerful synergy between sports and tourism.

The Wuhan 7·16 Crossing-the-River Festival, which started in 1956, has been held for 50 editions. Every summer, in the Yangtze River waters from Wuchang Hanyangmen Wharf to Hankou Jiangtan Sanyang Square section, the city witnesses a grand scene of thousands of swimmers competing and tens of thousands of people sharing in the spectacle. Swimming enthusiasts from across the country form groups to come to Wuhan, joining local residents in experiencing this exuberant celebration. As planned, the 51st Wuhan 7·16 Crossing-the-River Festival will be held on July 16, 2026.

The Wuhan Open, held during the golden autumn season, is one of the top ten WTA 1000-level global premier tournaments. In October 2025, the event witnessed unprecedented grandeur, with 107 top-tier athletes from 33 countries and regions—including 11 Grand Slam champions—competing at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center. Global attention focused on Wuhan, driving deep integration of sports, culture, tourism, and commerce and boosting sports consumption by over 100 million yuan.

From December 21, 2024 to February 12, 2025, the 2024 Wuhan Mass Ice-Snow Season, themed "Ice and Snow Feast, Igniting the River City," collaborated with 13 venues to launch a series of activities including ice-snow carnivals, competitive events, winter camps, tech exhibitions, and consumption seasons, cumulatively welcoming approximately 560,000 visitors. The 2025 Wuhan Mass Ice-Snow Season will launch in late December, igniting another wave of winter sports enthusiasm in the city.

In 2025, Wuhan hosted 115 major events across the W (world-class), C (national-level), and Han (city-specific) series, along with over 1,300 national fitness events and consumption-promoting activities. Tens of thousands of people visited Wuhan through sports events, fell in love with the city, and contributed to its "invigoration through events" strategy, injecting strong momentum into the city's high-quality development.

It is reported that in 2026, building on the foundations of spring's "Hanma Galloping", summer's "Great River Surge", autumn's "Tennis Passion", and winter's "Snow Dance", Wuhan will actively introduce high-end events with strong public appeal, high marketization, and significant international influence, including football, basketball, table tennis, and badminton. The city will accelerate the cultivation of trendy sports events such as pickball, esports, mountain outdoor activities, and cycling, while organizing traditional high-quality events like the Wuhan Equestrian Games and the National Sports Kite Championship.