Officials In Talks To See If HK Marathon Can Go Ahead

Home affairs secretary Caspar Tsui said on Saturday that officials are in talks with organisers to see if the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon can go ahead this year, and what measures have to be taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Speaking on a radio show on Saturday, the minister said authorities are concerned about how infection-control measures can be adopted so such mega-sports event can be held safely.

"We don't want a cluster to erupt at the event and affect several thousand people," Tsui said.

"We have been in close contact with the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates to see how we can do this safely. For example, should everyone be vaccinated or tested? For the small amount of participants from overseas, how can we adopt adequate requirements and arrangements to prevent infections from being imported?"he said.

The pandemic has already had an impact on the SAR's biggest sporting fixture.

Earlier this month, the Hong Kong Sevens tournament was canceled for the second year in a row, because of worries about Covid-19 variants and international travel restrictions. The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens had been scheduled for November 5-7 but has been delayed until April next year.

Meanwhile, Tsui said the government was working on the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, adding that he hoped to announce some "good news".

Organisers are planning to stage the event on October 24, and have asked people to "look forward to the positive news early next week" in a Facebook post on Friday.

The home affairs minister also said the government doesn't yet have a timetable on when district councillors would be asked to take their oaths of allegiance to the SAR.

Reports earlier said the oath-taking ceremonies would take place in June. While an official announcement never came, the plan to require oaths has already sparked a mass resignation of district councillors.

Tsui said officials hope to handle the arrangements appropriately, noting that the government also has other work to handle, such as the possibility of requiring more public servants to take an oath.

He said he doesn't know why district councillors had resigned, but noted that government departments and lawmakers can still help people on district matters.