Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Hong Kong Marathon to go ahead, as confident organisers look forward to full quota of 74,000 runners

Hong Kong Marathon to go ahead, as confident organisers look forward to full quota of 74,000 runners

Organisers have so far kept a low profile amid ongoing anti-government protests that have battered the city since June. The half-marathon and marathon will start on Nathan Road and finish at Victoria Park, with runners taking the Eastern Harbour crossing
The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon will go ahead as planned in February, with organisers reluctant to reschedule the annual showpiece despite social unrest that has battered the city since June.

“We are making good progress on all our preparation work for the 2020 event,” said Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association chairman Kwan Kee. “We want to stage a race for Hong Kong people to enjoy on a Sunday morning and are working towards that objective. We don’t have too much worries about things that may affect the race.”

The 2020 Hong Kong Marathon, to be held on February 9, has already attracted a full quota of 74,000 participants who will be running in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island in three different events – 10K, half marathon and the full marathon.

The half and full marathons will start on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui and finish at Victoria Park on the island side while the 10K route is along the Island Eastern Corridor – starting near Fortress Hill and finishing also at Victoria Park.

Despite being the biggest participation sporting event in Hong Kong, organisers have been keeping a low profile ahead of the 2020 race because of the anti-government protests. So far, they have only sent out one media release, last August, simply announcing the event.

Dennis Ng Yu-ho, executive director of the HKAAA, said the body experienced a similar situation before the 2015 event, several months after the Occupy Central campaign.

“We have some contingency plans, just like what we prepared at the 2015 event,” he said. “But we think the participants are rational as they join the event mainly for the running, challenging themselves and fulfilling their potential. The Hong Kong Marathon is a sporting event and this is why they are there.

“Of course, some may come for other reasons we don’t know about. But mutual respect should always come first.”

Last month, the HKAAA staged the Hong Kong Island 10K City Race, with the final stages of the route similar to that of the Hong Kong Marathon. The event attracted 3,000 runners and was deemed a success despite several participants wearing costumes typical of protesters and displaying political slogans.

The organisers had said before the race they would not stop anyone from taking part unless their behaviour inconvenienced other runners.

Last week, more than 7,000 runners joined the 2020 Streetathon with its 32.195km route running across the Eastern Harbour Tunnel for the first time. Some runners also took the opportunity to display their political views but the event was completed without any major hiccups.

“I think the general political atmosphere has somewhat improved since November’s District Council elections with social protests dying down a bit. This should be a good sign for the Hong Kong Marathon,” said a source close to the organisers.

“Of course, the political situation is still unpredictable as it needs just one incident to stir up the whole thing again and undermine the February event. But it seems to be looking good.”

Hong Kong’s top female marathon runner, Christy Yiu Kit-ching, has said she would enter the race for the first time since 2016 as she bids for a place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic. To do so, she needs to finish in the top five of the IAAF gold label event.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×