Road racing returns after 14 months, but entries limited to 200 runners at Hong Kong 5K Championships in Lantau
- All participants will be required to test for Covid-19 within two days before the April 18 race
- HKAAA is still keeping its fingers crossed the Hong Kong Marathon can go ahead in October
About 200 local runners will take part in the first road race next month in the first competition of its kind in more than a year due to the pandemic.
The Hong Kong 5K Championship is scheduled to take place in Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre in Disneyland on April 18 with all participants required to undergo Covid-19 testing. Organisers have limited the number of runners to just 200 to make sure they maintain safety measures.
All participants will need to undergo Covid-19 tests within two days of the competition day and produce a negative result before the race starts. Members of the media who are covering the event will be required to undergo testing as well. They can only arrive at the venue using designated transport provided by the organisers.
“It’s time to bring back road race competitions under proper safety measures as it’s always a popular event in Hong Kong but has been suspended due to the pandemic,” said Association of Athletics Affiliates chairman Kwan Kee. “We have already had routine track and field competitions back in the stadium with the help of the government and now we want to bring back road races that will start off small scale.
“We have to provide the opportunity for both officials and participants to familiarise with the safety arrangements under the pandemic as we may hold more road race events in future with the biggest one coming in October, which is the annual Standard Chartered Marathon.”
