New World Harbour Race 2015 Celebrating 5th Anniversary with Quota Raised to 2,500 and New School and Charity Categories
Enrolment entry will be raised from 2,000 to 2,500, including 450 in the Leisure Group
Pilot School and Charity categories to encourage participation
Online registration starts on 10 June 2015
Races will be held at Victoria Harbour on 18 October 2015
New World Development Company Limited (“New World Group”) and the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association (“HKASA”) are delighted to announce that the annual iconic sporting event, New World Harbour Race 2015, will be held on 18 October 2015 (Sunday) at the Victoria Harbour. To celebrate the 5th anniversary of this iconic cross-harbour swim and to encourage participation in the race, enrolment quota will be raised to 2,500 and two new categories, School and Charity categories, will be introduced this year. The new School category aims to allow more students to gain international exposure. In the charity category, non-profit making organisations will be invited to join the race and generate support for the people in need.
New World Harbour Race was presented with an Outstanding Progress Award this year by the Major Sports Events Committee and recognised again as an "M" Mark Sports Event, a prestigious honour for large-scale sporting events in Hong Kong. Building on the success of the previous four editions, the organiser will enhance the race arrangements and continue the legacy of this prominent event.
Ronnie Wong, President of Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association, said, “To mark the 5th anniversary of New World Harbour Race, this year’s enrolment quota will be increased from 2,000 to 2,500, in which 450 will be allocated to the Leisure Group, allowing more swimming enthusiasts to participate in this unique event. With the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to be held next year, the organiser is confident that the harbour race will attract elite swimmers as a part of their preparation for the Games, giving local swimmers an opportunity to compete alongside some of the world’s best swimmers and further enhancing the standard of the race.”
Gary Chen, Executive Director and Joint General Manager of New World Development Company Limited, said, “Over the past five years, New World Group has been dedicated to bringing New World Harbour Race to all walks of society. With the newly introduced School and Charity categories, the scope of participation shall be expanded, spreading energetic spirit and positive messages in the community. Partnering with the HKASA, our sustainable community development programme, New World Springboard, has set up the New World Swimming Academy to provide a minimum of five years of free training for under-resourced children. Since 2013, several young swimmers have already completed the harbour race. We hope that more talented young swimmers will be inspired to take on this challenge.”
Title-sponsored by New World Group for the fifth consecutive year, New World Harbour Race will commence at 8:30am on Sunday, 18 October 2015. The race comprises two groups, the Racing and Leisure groups, which have respective quotas of 600 and 1,900 participants. The seven categories in the Racing Group are: the Youth category (aged from 12 to 16), the Open A category (aged 17 to 34), the Open B category (aged 35 to 49), the Open C category (aged 50 or above), the International category (aged 14 or above), the New World Harbour Race Invitation Cup and the School category. The Leisure Group, which does not provide any rankings, is open to all eligible swimmers aged 12 or above. To ensure the safety of swimmers, a safety tow float will be provided to each swimmer in the Leisure Group, so as to help increase visibility of swimmers to supervising lifeguards. Giant balloons will also be set up to help participants identify the finishing point.
The race course measures approximately 1.5km, starting from the Sam Ka Tsuen Public Pier in Lei Yue Mun in Kowloon to the Quarry Bay Park Public Pier on Hong Kong Island. All swimmers must be certified according to the HKASA’s entry requirements for the Race. A time trial will be compulsory for applicants without HKASA-accredited race records. Quota of the Racing Group will be determined by the swimmers’ time trial results. For the Leisure Group, the quota will be decided by a draw among eligible applicants. Details of the draw will be announced on the official website.
The top three swimmers of each race category will receive awards offered by the title sponsor, New World Group. K11, a subsidiary of New World Group, is the sponsor of the K11 Harbour Race Young Swimmers Cup for the 12 to 16 age group, to encourage the participation of young swimmers.
Honourable guests at the New World Harbour Race 2015 press conference today were Jonathan McKinley, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs, Ronnie Wong, President of the HKASA, Gary Chen, Executive Director and Joint General Manager of New World Development Company Limited and Leonie Ki, Executive Director of New World Development Company Limited.
Online registration will open from tomorrow, 10 June 2015, until Wednesday, 5 August 2015. For more information, please visit www.hkharbourrace.com.
About New World Development Company Limited
New World Development Company Limited
Founded in 1970, New World Development Company Limited (“New World Group”, Stock Code: 17.HK) was publicly listed in Hong Kong in 1972 and is a constituent stock of the Hong Kong Hang Seng Index. A diversified holding company with a focus on property development, New World Group’s core business areas include property development, infrastructure and service, department stores and hotels. As at 31 December 2014, the total asset value of the Group amounted to HK$378.5 billion.
As at 30 June 2014, the Group has an effective interest of approximately 61.3% in NWS Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 659.HK), approximately 69.7% in New World China Land Limited (Stock Code: 917.HK) and approximately 72.3% in New World Department Store China Limited (Stock Code: 825.HK).
About the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association
Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association (“HKASA”) was founded in early 1950 by the President, Mr. A. de O. Sales, and it took part for the first time in the Olympic Games in Helsinki 1952 with four swimmers. It was subsequently registered under the Societies Ordinance on 28th April 1960. It is a member of the Federation Internationale De Natation (FINA), Asian Swimming Federation (AASF) and Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF & OC).
It is the sole governing body of swimming sports in Hong Kong covering all swimming, diving, water polo, synchronised swimming, open water swimming and masters competitions and activities here. In the past 60 years, the Association has been promoting and developing swimming sports, thus raising the standard of swimming, nurturing elite swimmers and providing training to athletes, officials, judges and coaches in Hong Kong through organising different competitions, training courses and relevant teaching activities.
The Association now has over 120 affiliated clubs with over 8,000 registered athletes, offering all properly accredited persons the opportunity to represent Hong Kong in a wide range of competitions and meetings here and abroad.