BEIJING, May 14- Chinese world record hurdler Liu Xiang will auction off the shoes he wore in his Athens Olympic gold medal-winning performance with bids expected to start at $US1.2 million dollars, state press reported Saturday.
Liu’s track shoes, which he wore in Athens when tying the 12.91 second 110 metre world record, will be auctioned off in a charity event organised by the Shanghai Sports Bureau, the non-profit Shanghai Hope Project and the Shanghai Benevolent Fund.
Most of the proceeds from the June 5 auction will go towards funding Shanghai track and field development, but Hope Project schools and poverty alleviation in rural areas would also reap benefits, the report said.
Liu signed over the shoes last October.
Independent buyers have already offered 13 million yuan for the red, gold and white Nike ``Zoom Super Fly G5’’ shoes, it said.
The sale of the shoes would be restricted to China as they were considered a national treasure.
Liu became the first male Chinese to win an Olympic gold medal in a sprint event.