True-blues get going in 'Airmazing Race'
The first-ever Airmazing Race, a self-styled 'scavenger hunt for clean air', took place on June 25 on the bustling streets of Hong Kong.
Some 300 youngsters (aged from 11 to 18) and more than 75 schools participated in the event organised by the Clean Air Network.
The initiative was fashioned after the reality TV show The Amazing Race to raise awareness of the city's air pollution.
Participants, dressed in blue as a symbol of clear skies, had to finish eight assigned tasks, including fun games, challenges and a quiz. They were only allowed to use transportation with no carbon emissions like trams and the MTR.
A game called 'Wheel of Fortune' required participants to perform various awkward tasks on the streets of Wan Chai, like singing a karaoke song to pedestrians about air pollution.
Checkpoints were set up across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The physically challenging open-air tasks served to familiarise participants with the negative effects of prolonged exposure to air pollution.
After a gruelling competition, Kam Ka-lun and Cheung Chun-kin from Carmel Park U Secondary School, won the grand prize: two iPods.
'To win this competition, we studied many facts about air pollution beforehand,' they said.
Participants said the event motivated them to work towards easing air pollution.
Organisers are planning a follow-up race in the autumn.
