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More than 1,800 endurance runners from 60 countries will compete in this weekend’s Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race. Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board

How Hong Kong proves a dynamic sporting venue for the world

  • The city’s annual calendar includes international events such as the iconic Hong Kong Sevens, showjumping, motor racing and elite trail running
In Partnership With:Hong Kong Tourism Board

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Hong Kong is often seen as a metropolitan city, harbour-fronted commercial port and global financial centre, full of luxury shops, hotels and restaurants, bounded by hills peppered with sparkling skyscrapers.

Yet the millions of the city’s annual tourists and its 7.46 million residents know differently.

Away from the main housing areas, large parts of the territory’s 2,755 square km (1,064 square-mile) area feature unspoilt hills and mountains, country parks and nature reserves; residents head for the great outdoors – to connect with nature – whenever they have free time.

Steve Brammar, race director of this weekend’s ultra-endurance race, the Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race – one of the world’s top trail competitions – says: “Many runners come back every year … but we also have runners visiting Hong Kong and the region for the first time.

“It’s great to see their reaction when they realise Hong Kong is not just shopping and skyscrapers, but also has breathtakingly beautiful scenery.”

The city centre holds many top-quality annual international sporting events featuring leading sportsmen and women, as well as those open to amateur athletes from Hong Kong and all over the world.

And the year 2019 is off for an exciting start with an action-packed spring schedule. Five of the highlights illustrate the vibe of Hong Kong as a global event hub.

High-level experience 

More than 1,800 athletes from 60 countries will compete in this weekend’s Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race.

The starting pistol will fire at 8.15am on Saturday in Pak Tam Chung, on the Sai Kung Peninsula. The runners will set off on a carefully plotted, hilly 103km (64-mile) course, which is based around Hong Kong's famous Maclehose Trail, but with diversions to ensure runners spend more time on its most scenic sections, as well as finishing with a descent from Hong Kong's highest peak, the 950-metre (3,115-foot) high Tai Mo Shan.

The Vibram Hong Kong 100 Ultra Trail Race follows a hilly 103km course offering competitors the chance to see many stunning views of Hong Kong. Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board

The race, first held in 2011 and now ranked as a “Series” level race in the Ultra Trail World Tour (UTWT), attracts more than 7,000 applicants as one of the most popular events on the global trail-running calendar.

“The elite field is very strong this year with some of the world’s best trail runners coming to Hong Kong for the event,” Brammar says.

Thoroughbred event 

Hong Kong has a centuries-long relationship with horses through racing, but its role as the host of 2008 Summer Olympics’ equestrian events deepened that tie.

The world’s top 30 showjumpers will compete at this year’s three-day Longines Masters Hong Kong indoor event. Photo: Longines Masters of Hong Kong 2018

The bond between the city and majestic thoroughbreds has only grown since, with Longines Masters Hong Kong – the Asian leg of the Longines Masters Series held between the Paris and New York’s offerings, which are collectively known as the Grand Slam of Indoor Showjumping – returning for the seventh year.

The competition, hosted by EEM Asia at AsiaWorld-Expo from February 15 to 17, is regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious equestrian events and is known for bringing together leading decision- makers, VIPs and the world’s top 30 showjumpers.

Top riders including Patrice Delaveau of France, Germany’s Philipp Weishaupt and Britain’s Michael Whitaker are expected to take part in this year’s competition, which include the nail-biting race-against-the-clock challenge around a hugely demanding course of jumps.

But the programme is not confined to just spectator events. Guests have the chance to meet the riders at regular autograph sessions and watch them and their horses warm up in the paddock.

Youngsters wear virtual-reality goggles while enjoying one of the many children’s activities held on the sidelines of the Longines Masters Hong Kong indoor showjumping event. Photo: Longines Masters of Hong Kong 2018

Next to the showjumping course is the social area featuring luxury shopping, fine dining, live bands, and educational experiences for families. 

Run the good race

On the day the Longines Masters Hong Kong sees its tense finale, 74,000 professional and amateur runners from all around the world will be converging on the city to take part in the 23rd Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.

A record 25,000 marathon runners – 4,000 more than last year – will line up in Nathan Road, Kowloon, for the start of this year’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

A record 22,500 marathon runners entered in this year’s event will set off, like their half-marathon counterparts, from the city’s iconic Nathan Road in Kowloon – which organisers hope will enhance the “unique Hong Kong experience” for the participants.

The 10km races will continue to be held on the Island Eastern Corridor.

The course of the marathon takes participants on a breath-taking Hong Kong journey that includes running on the 1,596-metre-long Stonecutters Bridge – more than 298 metres high – and through the Western Harbour Tunnel before finishing in the Causeway Bay’s Victoria Park – the social and cultural gathering place on Hong Kong Island.

Up to 74,000 people will be taking part in a range of races, including a 1km ‘family run’ and wheelchair events, during this year’s Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

There will also be 3km wheelchair races, a 2.2km “youth dash” and a 1km “family run”.

As with previous years, thousands of residents and visitors are expected to turn out to cheer on the competitors along the route.

Top finishing men and women marathon runners will both win prize money of US$65,000, with US$30,000 going to the runners-up and US$15,000 for those finishing third.

Fast and furious 

The adrenaline rush will then increase when Hong Kong plays host to round five of this season’s electric-powered Formula E motor racing competition – officially known as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship – on March 10.

The Hong Kong street race at this season’s electric-powered Formula E motor racing championship will take drivers past Hong Kong landmarks including Central’s International Finance Centre (above). Photo: Formula E HK E-Prix

Large crowds are expected to watch the street event – part of a 13-race format on five continents, featuring global motor manufacturers, including Jaguar, Nissan, BMW, and Audi, which are using the competition to test and develop road-relevant technologies to show the potential of sustainable mobility and help create a better, cleaner world.

The 1.85km city circuit will take competitors, including Brazilian former Formula One driver Felipe Massa, on a race lasting about 50 minutes past Hong Kong landmarks, including Central’s towering International Finance Centre, Hong Kong Observation Wheel, and Hong Kong City Hall, in specially designed cars that can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in about three seconds and reach speeds of up to 280km/h.

Huge crowds are expected to watch the Formula E motor race around the 1.85km street circuit in Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront area on March 10. Photo: Formula E HK E-Prix

The programme is completed with live music and entertainment; autograph sessions with the drivers; a drive zone for enthusiasts to inspect the latest range of all-electric and hybrid cars from Porsche, Audi, BMW and Jaguar; a gaming zone where people can test their driving skills on a Formula E simulator; and a kids zone for younger fans, focused on learning and discovery.

The championship, which began in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December, will also visit cities such as Sanya in mainland China, Rome, Paris, Monaco, Berlin, and Zurich before two final races in New York on July 13 and 14. 

Sport, play and parties 

Less than a month later, Hong Kong gears up to welcome the world’s rugby fans and revellers who are ready to play. The three-day Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens event, which has become an international spectacle, is set to transform the city into a carnival from April 5 to 7.

The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has grown into the world’s premier rugby Sevens event. Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board

The competition – first held on March 28, 1976 as a one-day event with 12 teams playing in front of 3,000 spectators, which saw Hong Kong win the inaugural Plate competition – has grown into the world’s premier rugby Sevens event and one of Asia’s most popular sporting events. Last year’s event featured 40 teams and attracted a total crowd of 120,000.

Top players and teams – and devoted spectators, including families and groups in fancy dress, ready to embrace the carnival-like atmosphere – from around the world will again be congregating at Hong Kong Stadium, the city’s leading sports venue in Causeway Bay. Among them will be the Fiji team, who were crowned Cup winners after beating Kenya 24-12 in the final last year.

Many of the thousands of devoted spectators attending the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens in Hong Kong Stadium wear fancy-dress costumes as part of three-day event’s carnival-like atmosphere. Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board

While what goes on in the stadium stays in the stadium, the party is on all around town. Those who can’t secure one of the much-sought-after tickets may opt to cheer on their favourite Sevens teams while watching the live broadcast of the games in various bars and restaurants – then continue celebrating until the wee hours.

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