Seamless cross-border test race a big winner

Ayra Wang and Jamie Liu

The Hong Kong segment of the National Games marathon test event went smoothly, with 38 runners completing the course within the expected time frame, according to the coordination office's head.

Yeung Tak-keung, head of the National Games Coordination Office, said all participants - including three men and three women representing Hong Kong - exited the city by 9.12am - within two hours of the race's start as planned.

Cross-border operations at other control points remained efficient during the temporary closure of Shenzhen Bay Port, which gradually resumed normal services following the Shenzhen leg of the test event.

The trial race - part of preparations for the National Games to be cohosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau in November - saw athletes depart from Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, cross through Shenzhen Bay Port, and run along the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and Kong Sham Western Highway Viaduct before looping back. The 42-kilometer route was evenly split between the two cities - 21 kilometers in each jurisdiction.

Men's group runners finished the Hong Kong section in about one hour and 42 minutes, while the women's group took about 10 minutes more in one hour and 52 minutes.

"The timings aligned closely with our projections," Yeung said, adding that post-race reviews would identify areas for improvement.

In another test event, Hong Kong fell to Jiangsu in the handball finals, marking the first National Games test event held at the Kai Tak Sports Park, which will officially open on Saturday.

The men's handball test event held at the Kai Tak Arena on Saturday and Sunday featured four teams - Hong Kong, Guangdong, Macau and Jiangsu.

Jiangsu fended off a strong comeback by Hong Kong to win the final 28-20. Guangdong defeated Macau 42-20 for third place.

The two-day competition attracted an over 4,300 spectators, Yeung said.