Marathon runners warned against breaching the law

The organizer of the Standard Chartered Marathon this Sunday says it will seek police help if there are runners who breach the law.

The comment came after the organizer of the marathon, Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates, said it will not place restrictions over the attire worn by participants. Nor will the association ban runners from wearing certain colors.

With the Hong Kong police banning protests over the past two years, it is expected that some runners will make use of the marathon to voice out. The color yellow is seen to represent the pro-democracy camp.

In an earlier press conference, the association said it does not find clothes with the wording “Hong Kong, keep it up!” to be problematic. It will not look into the color of athletes' clothing when performing checks for running safety.

However, the association added on Wednesday that runners must obey the rules set by the organizer. If they violate the rules or the law, they will receive a warning. If they ignore such warnings, their case could be reported to law enforcers.

The court has earlier ruled that the banner “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of the times” to be able to convey the meaning of secession. The banner proliferated during the 2019 unrest and later protests.