HKAAA given green light to restart athletics trial at Tseung Kwan O this weekend
- Event was originally scheduled for three weeks ago but was called off after a failure to reach agreement on pandemic safety measures
- It will be first domestic track and field race since January as coronavirus outbreak has brought interruptions to sporting calendar
Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association finally got the green light from government to stage its trial this weekend, three weeks after the event was called off at the last minute due to safety measures under pandemic.
The two-day meet, which will take place at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground as first scheduled, will also be the first domestic track and field competition since January as the coronavirus outbreak continues to upstage the sporting calendar.
Hong Kong’s top athletes, including hurdler Vera Lui Lai-yiu and long jumpers Chan Ming-tai and Yue Ya-xin, will be eager to flex their muscles again as they chase an Olympic 2020 berth with the qualification period resuming in a month from December 1.
But long distance runner Christy Yiu Kit-ching, who had entered the original event, will not feature in the women’s 5,000 metres as she is still undergoing a 14-day quarantine in a hotel after returning from the half-marathon world championships in Poland 10 days ago.
Association chairman Kwan Kee is still angered by the delaying of the event as athletes need competitions, especially those who are chasing Olympic qualification amid the pandemic outbreak.