Since the retirement of Olympic and world champion hurdler Liu Xiang in 2015, China has been searching for another track and field megastar.

Hosting elite international meets like the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the annual Shanghai Diamond League has helped establish a platform for homegrown athletes to hone their skills against the world's best - but that's not enough.

Greater efforts are needed to promote athletics at the grassroots level and among young athletes in order to spark passion for the sport.

This year's organizing committee of the Shanghai Diamond League, the second of 14 global competitions from May to September, has found new ways to get people involved.

The latest was Sunday's amateur relay race in Shanghai that attracted 120 teams from around the nation and included male and female runners from all walks of life.

A novel rule of relay was applied: The first runner completed four laps on the standard 400m track, and teammates subsequently ran three, two and one. The third runner had to be female.

The top 10 teams will square off in the final at Shanghai Stadium on Saturday in a warm up event before the Diamond League guns off under the floodlights.

On Thursday, local students will have a chance at face-to-face meetings with their idols when they take part in a fun competition featuring Rio Olympic 110m hurdles silver medalist Orlando Ortega, 2015 Beijing world championship 110m winner Sergey Shubenkov and Chinese 110m No 1 Xie Wenjun.

A series of online and offline interactive activities has also boosted the Diamond League's profile.

Called "Diamond on the Fingertip," the program was launched last month and anyone can play the customized html5 game on a smartphone. Comprised of various athletics events, including running, long jump and shot put, the top three finishers with the best grades in 12 days will have a chance to win an actual diamond.

Creative promotions have also taken over Shanghai subway stations, with colorfully-decorated displays and creative slogans urging people to check out the Diamond League meet.

Weibo users are encouraged to share these designs and slogans through photos, with tickets awarded to some lucky participants.

The Shanghai meet will feature several international stars, including Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson, Brazilian pole vaulter Thiago da Silva, US sprinter Justin Gatlin and German brothers Robert and Christoph Harting, the 2012 and 2016 Olympic discus champions.

chenxiangfeng@chinadaily.com.cn