The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon attracted a record 65,000 entries this year, which shows that the annual event has become increasingly popular, drawing local and international runners. It has become the high point of the city's annual public events, and a 'Brand Hong Kong' affair supported by the government and community.
Hong Kong needs to host more of these wholesome international events because they help benefit society by building and nurturing community spirit. The government should fully support it to encourage more local participation. Not only does it increase public interest in sports, it can also bring a community together.
Despite having years of experience in organising the marathon, the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association (HKAAA) still fell short in some areas. This year, the 10km wheelchair race was cancelled because there were too few entries. This was unacceptable because the race was meant to encourage athletes from different backgrounds to participate and promote the integration of people with disabilities.
That was only one small problem; a bigger issue is community support. If we want to have genuine community support, we must involve the whole community and let it share the marathon spirit. We have to make the race more visible and more accessible, which means changing start times, moving the marathon into the heart of the city and allowing the community to cheer for the runners on race day. The route should cover the main areas of the city and be hosted during the day, not at 5am just because the organisers are concerned about creating traffic congestion.
This annual marathon is Hong Kong's biggest participatory sport and I am sure most people will be willing to suffer a bit of inconvenience once a year. We should turn the marathon into a signature sports event like the Rugby Sevens. It would certainly attract lots of visitors as well as promote our image as a world city for hosting international events.
It certainly doesn't seem right for such a significant event to be organised by the HKAAA with little transparency. The entry fees collected from local and overseas runners alone amounted to HK$19.5 million this year. And we shouldn't forget that there was also substantial commercial sponsorship and government support in providing logistics and medical emergency services.