Hong Kong Marathon runners to bear full responsibility if they break National Security Law at annual showpiece
- Sunday’s marathon will be first mass participatory sports event since the NSL was implemented in the city
- Organisers have no control over runners’ apparel, but safety is primary concern
Runners will bear all the responsibility if they feature illegal political slogans on their apparel at this weekend’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, the first mass participatory sporting event since the National Security Law was implemented in the city.
At a briefing session on Monday ahead of the annual athletics showpiece, organisers said they could only check the outfits of runners to ensure they don’t interfere with other participants.
“Runners in other marathons all over the world often wear different kinds of costumes, and our primary concern will be safety,” said organising committee chairman William Ko Wai-lam. “If the runners’ outfits interfere with or block other participants, they will not be allowed.
“We have no restrictions on the use of colour (of the apparel), but we can’t comment on if any slogans on their clothing would be banned as we haven’t seen the slogans.”
Ko said they would check all the 18,500 participants in the 10k, half-marathon and full marathon contests before they start the race on Sunday morning to see if the runners have followed the required anti-pandemic measures, and will also check that their costumes are safe.
The marathon and half-marathon events will start on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, while the 10k will start at the Western Harbour Crossing Toll Plaza in Kowloon, with all three events finishing at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.
The chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates Kwan Kee said organisers had no control of the runners if they wished to place political slogans on their race outfits.