Taipei, Jan. 18 (CNA) GPS navigation developer Garmin announced Monday that it is giving NT$1 million (US$35,176) to support a new sports award created to recognize exceptional Taiwanese marathon runners.

The new award, to be known as the Chen Chang-Ming Award and be given for the first time in March 2022, will honor one male and female runner each year and also offer financial incentives for other achievements such as breaking a national record.

It will be given to athletes for outstanding athletic achievement and to those who have made major contributions to the sport of distance running throughout their lifetimes.

According to Garmin's Taiwan office, the award is co-founded by the company with Taiwanese marathon veteran Wang Kuan-hsiang and former Olympian Chang Chia-che.

It is named after Taiwanese long-distance runner Chen Chang-Ming, who competed in the marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics and was the first Taiwanese to run a marathon faster than 2 hours and 20 minutes, according to the Taiwan Athletics website.