Hong Kong Marathon organisers delay 2022 race to November as city continues Covid-19 curbs

The 2022 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon has been pushed back from February to November, in a move aimed at giving local runners more time to train – and the race a better chance of attracting overseas competitors.

Organisers had planned to hold next year’s event in February, but concerns over the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with the city still gripped by restrictions, and the ability to attract top overseas talent forced a rethink.

The Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA) hopes to have more participants at this year’s event as they gradually return to previous numbers, with around 74,000 runners having taken part in 2019, while the 2021 edition had an entry quota of just 18,500 – less than a quarter of the 2019 event, none of whom were invited from overseas. SCMP