Previously set for 20 November, the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2022 has been called off as organiser, and the city could not come to terms with approval.
Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA), the marathon’s organising body, released a statement that confirmed they would not be going ahead with this year’s event. The organiser said they could still not secure the required permit in time, and with just a little over two months to organise, they had no choice but to cancel.
“In view of Hong Kong's latest pandemic situation, the Organiser has yet to receive notice of approval. The decision is made based on the fact that with only two months remaining before the event day, there is insufficient time for runners and relevant stakeholders to adequately prepare for the race,” the HKAAA said in a released statement.
The statement eludes to pandemic protocols as the reason why the event was still unable to secure a permit at this late stage. “The Organiser would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their support to the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon and will continue to closely monitor the pandemic development while looking forward to resuming the event when the situation permits.”
During a radio programme, the commissioner for sports Yeung Tak-keung said the government had made every effort to facilitate the 2022 marathon. Yeung said the organiser’s decision to cancel is likely due to the tight timeline.
He furthered that pandemic protocol is a consideration for an event at this scale.
The Standard Charter Hong Kong Marathon is one of the city’s largest annual sporting events, with thousands of participants worldwide. Covid put a stop to the 40-year-old event in 2020; it made a comeback in 2021 at 25 per cent capacity.
The marathon is split into two categories, the 10km run and the full 42.195KM course, which takes participants from Kowloon's Tsim Sha Tsui across the harbour to Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island.
In 2019, the event recorded its biggest year yet, with 74,000 local and international marathoners attempting the cross-harbour run.
Also see: Hong Kong confirms half-marathon across world’s longest bridge-tunnel for 2023