New World Harbour Race 2018 Enrolment Quota raised to 3,600
(11 June 2018, Hong Kong) New World Development Company Limited (“the Group”) and the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association (“HKASA”) are delighted to announce that this year’s iconic annual sporting event, the New World Harbour Race 2018, will be held on 21 October 2018 (Sunday) at Victoria Harbour. Like last year, the route will stretch from the Tsim Sha Tsui Public Pier to the Wan Chai Golden Bauhinia Square Public Pier, echoing the legendary cross-harbour race route of olden times. The route has proved popular with participants, as they get to race across the very centre of the world-renowned Victoria Harbour.
This year, the enrolment quota for participants has been raised to 3,600, with additional places added to the Leisure Group category to allow even more leisure swimmers to take part. The New World Harbour Race 2018 are getting ready to celebrate the 8th Anniversary of the modern race.
The New World Harbour Race, relaunched in 2011, has become an iconic event that symbolises the Hong Kong spirit of perseverance. The race has been recognised as an "M" Mark event by the Major Sports Events Committee for the 7th consecutive year, reflecting its status as a large scale world-class sporting event.
The organisers of the New World Harbour Race are committed to achieving an environmentally friendly event, with several environmental protection measures having been taken to reduce waste, promote recycling, and protect the environment. Last year, the New World Harbour Race was awarded a certification of appreciation by the Environment Bureau in recognition of its efforts in promoting waste reduction and recycling. This year’s race will work with swimmers to go green through measures such as having an online registration procedure, arranging for green ambassadors to promote environmental protection and recycling at the finish, providing recyclable paper cups at the start-point water stations, and setting up recycling bins.
Today’s New World Harbour Race 2018 press conference was attended by a number of Guests of Honour, including Linda Law, Principal Assistant Secretary for Home Affairs (Recreation & Sport Division 2), Au Tak-cheong, Executive Director of New World Development Company Limited, Leonie Ki, Non-executive Director of New World Development Company Limited, Ronnie Wong, President of the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association, and David Chiu, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the New World Harbour Race 2018 and Honorary Secretary of the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association.
Speaking at the press conference, Ronnie Wong said, “New World Harbour Race 2018 has returned to the signature race route from Tsim Sha Tsui to Hong Kong Island. Thanks to the staunch support of New World Group and other organisations, this race has evolved into an established world-class open water swimming event. This year, we have further increased the quota to 3,600 so that even more swimmers can enjoy this signature event and experience Hong Kong’s amazing scenery from a different perspective.”
Adrian Cheng Chi-Kong, Executive Vice-chairman and General Manager of New World Development Company Limited, said, “New World Group is delighted to be the title sponsor of the race, and to present this unique and legendary Hong Kong sporting event together with the HKASA. We believe the persistence of the swimmers and their desire to perform well reflects the spirit of The Artisanal Movement, the unique brand personality of our Group which sees us persistently striving for artisanal excellence. New World Group encourages everyone to exercise regularly and to live a healthy lifestyle, and we hope to encourage more people to experience the pleasure of swimming through the New World Harbour Race.”
The New World Harbour Race 2018 will begin at 8:00am on Sunday, 21 October 2018, and will cover a course of approximately 1,000m stretching from the Tsim Sha Tsui Public Pier to the Wan Chai Golden Bauhinia Square Public Pier on Hong Kong Island. The race comprises two groups, Racing and Leisure, with quotas of 600 and 3,000 participants respectively. The seven categories in the Racing Group are: Youth (aged from 12 to 16), Open A (aged 17 to 34), Open B (aged 35 to 49), Open C (aged 50 or above), International (aged 14 or above), and School, along with the New World Harbour Race Invitation Cup category. The Leisure Group does not involve any rankings and is open to all eligible swimmers aged 12 or above, each of whom will be provided with a safety tow float.
For optimum safety, all swimmers from Racing and Leisure Group must meet the HKASA’s entry requirements for the race, and this includes a requirement for applicants without HKASA-accredited race records to take part in a compulsory time trial. The quota of the Racing Group will be filled according to the swimmers’ time trial results. For the Leisure Group, the quota will be decided by a draw among eligible applicants. The results of the draw will be announced on the New World Harbour Race official website.
The top three swimmers in each race category will receive awards offered by the title sponsor, New World Group. 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. This year newly include the establishment of New World SpringBoard Championship in order to encourage all the young members of “New World SpringBoard” by the New World Group.
Registration for the New World Harbour Race 2018 will open from tomorrow, 12 June, and will remain open until 1 August. Three time trial sessions will be held at the Hong Kong Sports Institute and Shing Mun Valley on 2, 8 and 9 September. For more information, please visit www.hkharbourrace.com.