Two Hong Kong lawmakers have called for expanding the annual Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon into a two-day event to attract more participants and enhance the city's mega-event economy. They also suggest routing through less urbanized areas to minimize traffic disruptions. This comes after a record turnout and oversubscription in the recent race.
Hong Kong lawmakers have suggested expanding the annual marathon into a two-day race and adding more diverse routes to attract additional participants and bolster the city's mega-event economy. The two lawmakers stated on Monday that organizers of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon could design routes through less urbanized areas, such as Kai Tak and the Northern Metropolis, to reduce traffic disruptions.
Their calls were made a day after organizers pledged to establish a special task force to study the "future development" of the annual event and address an oversubscription issue. About 74,000 people took part in Sunday's races, a record with 25 percent from outside Hong Kong, while nearly 50,000 other runners were denied spots.
Lawmaker Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, vice-chairman of the government advisory body Major Sports Events Committee, said the proportion of overseas participants was ideal but had reduced spots available for local runners given the event's relatively fixed capacity. "This is a pity, as promoting sports [in the community] is among our focuses. I believe it would be helpful to look into how to increase the overall quotas, such as splitting the event into two days to allow more people to participate," he told a radio programme.
Another lawmaker, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, also backed expanding the event's scale to solidify Hong Kong's status as an Asian sports hub. These proposals aim to balance local participation and international appeal while easing urban traffic pressures.
