Road racing returns after 14 months, but entries limited to 200 runners at Hong Kong 5K Championships in Lantau
- All participants will be required to test for Covid-19 within two days before the April 18 race
- HKAAA is still keeping its fingers crossed the Hong Kong Marathon can go ahead in October
About 200 local runners will take part in the first road race next month in the first competition of its kind in more than a year due to the pandemic.
The Hong Kong 5K Championship is scheduled to take place in Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre in Disneyland on April 18 with all participants required to undergo Covid-19 testing. Organisers have limited the number of runners to just 200 to make sure they maintain safety measures.
All participants will need to undergo Covid-19 tests within two days of the competition day and produce a negative result before the race starts. Members of the media who are covering the event will be required to undergo testing as well. They can only arrive at the venue using designated transport provided by the organisers.
“It’s time to bring back road race competitions under proper safety measures as it’s always a popular event in Hong Kong but has been suspended due to the pandemic,” said Association of Athletics Affiliates chairman Kwan Kee. “We have already had routine track and field competitions back in the stadium with the help of the government and now we want to bring back road races that will start off small scale.
Hong Kong Marathon cancelled in wake of coronavirus outbreak
“We have to provide the opportunity for both officials and participants to familiarise with the safety arrangements under the pandemic as we may hold more road race events in future with the biggest one coming in October, which is the annual Standard Chartered Marathon.”
The flagship running showpiece has been interrupted by the pandemic during the past two years. The association was forced to call off the 2020 marathon in February – just two weeks before it was expected to take place when government tightened safety measures due to the pandemic. As a result of the late cancellation, the association incurred more than HK$10 million in losses.
This year’s marathon was supposed to be held early this year but was postponed to October, with organisers hoping the pandemic situation would improve. It is not known if organisers can keep the same numbers of runners as in previous years with a quota of 74,000 entries for all three disciplines – 10K, half marathon and marathon.
2021 Hong Kong Marathon postponed – new date still to be decided
Hong Kong has not held a local road race for 14 months due to the pandemic. The last time they had a road competition dates back to January 2020 when the Half Marathon Championships took place in Tai Po with a quota 3,000 runners.
Meanwhile, track and field competitions will continue to be held for the second consecutive weekend with the 2021 Hong Kong Athletics Series 1 taking place at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground. Athletes will have to complete a health declaration form and arrive in the stadium during a designated admission time. No spectators will be allowed.
Long jumper Chan Ming-tai will be looking for improvement after clearing 7.51 metres at the preseason trial at Siu Sai Wan last week. The Hong Kong record holder of 8.12 metres is still chasing his Olympic berth to Tokyo this summer but high jumper Cecilia Yeung Man-wai will miss the event after making her first appearance over 20 months last week following a recovery from a serious Achilles tendon rupture.
