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Oxfam Trailwalker cancelled for second consecutive year
The Oxfam Trailwalker, an annual charitable hiking event, was forced to cancel. The ban has affected some 4,000 participants after the authorities decided to ban it for the second year due to health reasons
Oxfam announced that the event will be held between November 22 and December 12 in “an alternative version” with details to come shortly, but also said that those who have enrolled can choose to get refunds.
In a statement yesterday, Oxfam cited authorities who said given the scale of the event, the organizer will be unable to separate the 4,600 participants and staffers from other hikers on the trail over the three-day period, thus leaving a potential risk for the spread of the virus.
The organization said it is “extremely disappointed and saddened” that it is unable to hold an in-person event this year.
“Although Oxfam Hong Kong continued to respond to requests for details about preventive measures over the past few months and had not received any indication that its application would be rejected, it was unexpectedly and ultimately not approved three weeks before the event,” the statement wrote.
The organization said it had worked closely with authorities since the middle of the year and had continuously revised health preventive measures at their request.
This included drastically reducing the number of teams, requiring hikers to be fully vaccinated and undergo Covid-19 tests, as well as offering them individually packed food at checkpoints.
“We had not received notice of objections,” it said, adding it was only notified by authorities the event was banned three weeks before its original schedule of November 19 to 21.
It will be the second year in a row when the event cannot be held as an in-person one, as the one last year was postponed and eventually held online in January this year.
The Standard Chartered Marathon, which does not offer food and drinks, took place this Sunday after one year of suspension.
But Oxfam said the 48-hour Trailwalker will inevitably have to involve the distribution of food and drinks to hikers along the MacLehose Trail, as the trail stretches 100 kilometers from Sai Kung to Yuen Long.
And as the trail is also open to the public, and authorities found that to be risky.
The organization has tentatively scheduled to conduct the event online from November 22 to December 12, pending the approval of relevant departments.
Teams that have paid registration fees and donations can choose to have their payments refunded, adding further details will be announced within the coming few days.
The Oxfam Trailwalker is an annual 100 kilometer hiking fundraiser founded in Hong Kong in the 1980s, and continued to be one of their most notable events.
The success of this fundraising event has not only raised awareness about poverty and injustice but has also attracted 14 additional cities to organize their own Oxfam Trailwalker events.
In a statement yesterday, Oxfam cited authorities who said given the scale of the event, the organizer will be unable to separate the 4,600 participants and staffers from other hikers on the trail over the three-day period, thus leaving a potential risk for the spread of the virus.
The organization said it is “extremely disappointed and saddened” that it is unable to hold an in-person event this year.
“Although Oxfam Hong Kong continued to respond to requests for details about preventive measures over the past few months and had not received any indication that its application would be rejected, it was unexpectedly and ultimately not approved three weeks before the event,” the statement wrote.
The organization said it had worked closely with authorities since the middle of the year and had continuously revised health preventive measures at their request.
This included drastically reducing the number of teams, requiring hikers to be fully vaccinated and undergo Covid-19 tests, as well as offering them individually packed food at checkpoints.
“We had not received notice of objections,” it said, adding it was only notified by authorities the event was banned three weeks before its original schedule of November 19 to 21.
It will be the second year in a row when the event cannot be held as an in-person one, as the one last year was postponed and eventually held online in January this year.
The Standard Chartered Marathon, which does not offer food and drinks, took place this Sunday after one year of suspension.
But Oxfam said the 48-hour Trailwalker will inevitably have to involve the distribution of food and drinks to hikers along the MacLehose Trail, as the trail stretches 100 kilometers from Sai Kung to Yuen Long.
And as the trail is also open to the public, and authorities found that to be risky.
The organization has tentatively scheduled to conduct the event online from November 22 to December 12, pending the approval of relevant departments.
Teams that have paid registration fees and donations can choose to have their payments refunded, adding further details will be announced within the coming few days.
The Oxfam Trailwalker is an annual 100 kilometer hiking fundraiser founded in Hong Kong in the 1980s, and continued to be one of their most notable events.
The success of this fundraising event has not only raised awareness about poverty and injustice but has also attracted 14 additional cities to organize their own Oxfam Trailwalker events.
