Wheelchair athletes will be able to join the Standard Chartered marathon for the first time next year, but only experienced racers need apply.
Marathon chairman William Ko Wai-lam said the steep course made it unsafe for first-timers.
'The steepness of the slope on the competition route just reaches the minimum international standard. There have been a lot of measures adopted to ensure safety,' Ko said.
To qualify for the race, which is to be held on a 10-kilometre course separate from the main marathon, wheelchair entrants must have competed in at least one similar event.
The last time wheelchair athletes entered a Hong Kong marathon was in 1998 in the event held to mark the opening of the new airport, but that course was easier.
Yukio Seki, an international technical official from the International Paralympic Committee, was invited to travel from Japan to Hong Kong to give technical and safety advice for next year's event. 'The level of difficulty of the Hong Kong route is just average compared with other similar races. However the hilly layout could be quite tough for less experienced contestants,' Seki said.