Biggest-ever New World Harbour Race to be held on 27 October 4,000 swimmers to cross Victoria Harbour on brand-new route
- Harbour Race 2019 will be held across Victoria Harbour on 27 October
- Enrolment quota raised to 4,000, making this the biggest-ever New World Harbour Race
- Brand-new race route from Wan Chai Golden Bauhinia Square to Tsim Sha Tsui’s Avenue of Stars (near Victoria Dockside)
- Newly added University Championship, provides extra opportunities for youth and encourages participation by younger swimmers
New World Harbour Race 2019, the iconic annual sporting event organised by the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association (HKASA) and title-sponsored by New World Development Company Limited (NWD), will be held on the morning of Sunday 27 October 2019 across Victoria Harbour. Registration is now open. This year, a brand-new route has been adopted for the race, running from the Public Pier at Wan Chai Golden Bauhinia Square to the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui (near Victoria Dockside). To allow more swimmers to take part, the enrolment quota for participants has been raised to 4,000. This will therefore be the biggest-ever Harbour Race, with an increase in participants of more than 10 percent compared with last year.
The slogan for this year’s New World Harbour Race is “#Wavemaker”. The event includes Racing and Leisure Groups, and this year an International Category has been introduced to the Racing Group. Fifty elite swimmers from different regions and countries have been invited to take part in this category, all recognised as official representatives by their national swimming federations. Several other new elements will further enrich the event, including the addition of a University Championship in the Racing Group. The University Championship is sponsored by FT Life and designed to encourage more young people to participate in swimming events. Students from eleven universities in Hong Kong have been invited to join the race as members of university teams.
Ronnie Wong, President of the HKASA, said, “Thanks to staunch support from title sponsor NWD and other organisations and government entities, the New World Harbour Race has evolved into an established world-class sporting event since its relaunch in 2011. Thousands of swimmers take part in the race annually, and each year it attracts considerable coverage from local and international media. Given this enthusiastic response, we have further increased this year’s quotas and introduced additional elements to the race. For example, we have changed the route and added an International Category and the University Championship, all with the aim of enriching this signature event and enhancing the experience of swimmers.”
Au Tak-cheong, Executive Director of NWD, said, “As a company dedicated to supporting and promoting sportsmanship and helping athletes unleash their potential, New World Group is delighted to be the title sponsor of the Harbour Race for the ninth consecutive year. The slogan of this year’s Harbour Race is “#Wavemaker”. Harbour Race participants are wave-makers in the water and in their lives, reaching for excellence and working with persistence and determination to overcome their personal challenges. We believe that their strong desire to break through conventional limits and achieve their best coincides with the spirit of The Artisanal Movement, the unique brand personality of NWD where we strive for artisanal excellence. We hope our swimmers will embody this fearless spirit as they dedicate themselves to achievement on race day.”
The New World Harbour Race 2019 will begin at 8am on Sunday, 27 October 2019. The race is open to all eligible swimmers aged 12 and above. Registration for the New World Harbour Race 2019 is open from now until 5pm on 21 August 2019. The race comprises two groups, Racing and Leisure, with a total quota of 4,000 swimmers. The title sponsor, NWD, will present awards to the top three swimmers in each race category and for the New World Springboard Championship. K11, a subsidiary of New World Group, will continue to encourage the participation of young swimmers by sponsoring the K11 Harbour Race Young Swimmers Cup for the 12 to 16 age group.
To ensure the safety of swimmers, all participants in the Racing and Leisure groups must meet the HKASA’s entry requirements for the race. These include a requirement for applicants without HKASA-accredited race records to take part in a compulsory time-trial in September. The quota for the Racing Group will be filled according to swimmers’ time-trial results. For the Leisure Group, the quota will be decided on the basis of a draw among eligible applicants.
For more information about the New World Harbour Race 2019, please visit the official website (www.hkharbourrace.com).