Hong Kong Marathon chiefs ‘hounding government every day to meet’ as clock ticks to save November race

Organisers ‘need to finalise all arrangements by mid-September – or it will be too late’, says chairman of the city’s athletics association

10K championships cancelled last week after government imposed Covid-19 restrictions on eve of race, leaving Hong Kong sporting events under a cloud

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The Hong Kong Marathon had a reduced field in 2021, but the plans for this year have yet to be finalised. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 6:56pm, 29 Aug 2022Updated: 10:01am, 20 Sep 2022

The organisers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon are running out of time to put the race on as planned in November and are continuing to call on the government to meet them, the head of the city’s athletics body has said.

With less than three months to go until the proposed marathon, Kwan Kee, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA), again urged the authorities to respond, after several events were left in limbo by Covid-19 restrictions being introduced at short notice.

“We’ve been hounding the government every day to meet with us, and give us the opportunity to explain our dilemma,” said Kwan Kee, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA). “I hope we can meet with the Chief Secretary [Eric Chan Kwok-ki] as soon as possible to get a better perspective.”

The Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong 10K Championships were last week cancelled four days before the race after the government placed a last-minute cap of 500 on participant numbers, having previously approved 1,500 runners to take part. The same cap could apply to the Cross Harbour Swim on October 23.

Organisers of the marathon had hoped to double the size of the field from last year’s 18,500. Photo: Winson Wong

That left question marks over the viability of the Half Marathon Challenge on October 2 and the Hong Kong Marathon on November 20.