This file photo shows a couple covered in powder taking part in last year's Color Run in Shanghai. The Shanghai Oriental Sports Center has withdrawn from this year's event citing safety concerns in the wake of the deadly inferno at a Taiwan water park. (Photo/Dong Jun)

The Shanghai Oriental Sports Center has withdrawn from this year's Color Run due to safety concerns in the wake of the deadly inferno at a Taiwan water park.

One of the key features of the event is the throwing of colored powder, similar to that which sparked Saturday's blaze, which left one person dead and almost 500 others injured.

Wang Wei, the center's deputy director, told Shanghai Daily yesterday that the organizers were aware of the fire risk ahead of last year's Color Run.

"We consulted several experts and were told that such a blast was a possibility," he said.

"We therefore asked for help from the local fire department and made provisions for such an event, such as spraying water in the air and making sure the crowds never got too big or stayed in one place too long," he said.

The sports center, which is located in the Pudong New Area, jointly organized last year's event with global event management company IMG.

More than 5,000 runners took part.

Wang Yang, who works for IMG in Beijing, said that despite the concerns of its former partner, the company hopes that this year's fun run in Shanghai will still go ahead.

"Last year's event in Shanghai was a success, and we hope it can be held in the city again," he said, adding that the company has already applied to the local government for permission to stage the event at another venue.

The fatal incident in Taiwan appeared to be the result of a sequence of unfortunate events, Wang said.

"I've watched the video of the blast. They used a machine to spray powder in high densities into the crowd, which is totally different from what we do," he said.

"We make sure that powder is thrown only in spacious, open areas, and we strictly control the flow of people.

"We've held about 100 Color Runs around the world and never had an accident like that," he said.

The powder used in previous runs is a mixture of corn starch and food coloring, Wang said.

"It is imported from India, but meets all of Chinese quality standards," he said.

"We are preparing a statement that we will release in the coming days to explain the situation, but Color Run participants have no reason to worry about their safety," he said.

Two Color Runs have already been held in China this year — in Shenzhen and Beijing — and two more are scheduled for next month in Chongqing and Shenyang.

Competitors in the 5-kilometer runs are required to wear white outfits, which are subsequently "colored" as they progress along the route and at the finish line by people throwing handfuls of powder of different hues.

The tragedy in Taiwan happened when a cloud of powder ignited, sending a huge fireball through a crowd of people dancing at the water park in New Taipei City.

The local fire department said the explosion was likely caused by a spark from machinery or lighting equipment hitting the powder cloud.

Luo Qifeng, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Disaster Prevention and Relief, said that most people have no idea how dangerous fine powder can be.

"Corn starch is flammable, but not many people are aware of the fact," he said.

"Even so, the Taiwan blast was a rare case," he said.

"Explosions involving fine powder usually happen only in factories, where there is a high density of combustible metal dust in a confined space," he said.