New World Development and HKGSA join hands to sponsor annual harbour race

New World Development and Hong Kong China Swimming Association (HKGSA) have joined hands to sponsor the annual harbour race.

Over 1,200 swimmers participated in the New World Harbour Race on 23 October, according to SCMP. The swimmers started from the Golden Bauhinia Square Public Pier in Wan Chai and finished at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui in a one-kilometer race that was introduced last year.

Organised by the Hong Kong China Swimming Association, the first mega-sports outdoor event this year attracted 100 swimmers from the racing group and 1,100 swimmers from the four-batch leisure group, after a test trial to limit entrants to 1,500.

The race has also welcome Siobhan Haughey, double silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and former member of the Hong Kong Swimming Team Kevin Chu, as its ambassadors, in order to inject a positive vibe into the city and promote a sporting culture.

With the theme of “Empower Happy Waves for All”, this year’s competition aimed to inspire swimmers to share their passion with friends and sports enthusiasts across all medium, in spite of the ongoing pandemic. The race was also sponsored and fully supported by FTLife, the sole insurance sponsor of this year.

Furthermore, the organiser has provided an option for donation to this year’s registration form. Swimmers can opt to donate HK$100 for charitable purposes during registration. All charitable proceeds will be collected by the HKGSA, and subsequently donated to Share for Good, a local crowd-donation platform. The platform’s partner, Yan Chai Hospital, will purchase and distribute appropriate supplies to the needy through 60 non-profit organisations.

“We would like to express our gratitude to New World Development for their unremitting sponsorship over the years, and to the relevant government departments and other organisations for their support and cooperation, without which we would not be able to organise the New World Harbour Race,” said president of HKGSA Ronnie Wong. “Aside from providing swimmers with an opportunity to get together and compete, it is also our wish that the New World Harbour Race provides an opportunity for people all over the city to experience the happiness and vitality of swimming,”

Sitt Nam Hoi, executive director of New World Development, said: “We have always put our utmost effort into supporting local sports development. The New World Harbour Race has a long history of bringing happiness for the public to enjoy Hong Kong’s beautiful Victoria Harbour, and this year is no different. The Race this year is the second time to be held during the pandemic. We hope to share the joy and vitality of the New World Harbour Race to all citizens.”

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