Lucie Aurore
Sports form a great part of everyday life in Hong Kong, so much so that locals call it culture and foreigners travel from across the globe to witness some of the sporting events like the ones below.
The name Hong Kong is almost synonymous with this tournament as it is one of the first things that would crop into anyone's mind when talking about Hong Kong. This three-day long tournament is usually held at the end of March annually and is hosted by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union. It is essentially a rugby tournament and has few competitors in scale or grandeur. The female rugby players and kids get their fair share of the excitement in tournaments held immediately prior or simultaneously. The tournament has been in existence long enough to see increases in the number of competing nations and even a revamped stadium. The South Stand is where the biggest celebrations take place during the tournament with those in attendance joining in the celebrations with live music and beer pitches. Twenty-two countries are recorded to have competed at the most recent version.
The event known as the Hong Kong Marathon consists of a full day marathon, half day marathon, run for ten kilometers and a wheelchair race. The event is well organized; the routes and the break stations are published well in advance and procedures are spelt out for cheering as well. The routes are widespread and cover much of the land. The athletes pass hotels in Wan Chai Hong Kong, highways, bridges and tunnels. Many find the Cosmo Hotel Wan Chai Hong Kong an iconic building among the cityscape as they huff and puff along the way. The funds raised through the run are donated to charity, hence, it is a sporting event and charitable event all rolled into one. Over seventy thousand athletes from all across the globe partake in this altruistic race. The marathon's official song track, 'Marathon and Life' was unveiled on the occasion of its twentieth episode, a few weeks ago in 2016.
The Hong Kong Tennis Classic is a predecessor to the Australian Open and is considered a women's exhibition tennis contest. As one of the most successful cosmopolitan cities in the world where travel, trade, and tourism take centre stage it is a fitting tribute to the Victoria Park that a journey of this nature is conducted with the participation of teams from Russia, the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. When compared to many of the other significant sporting events in Hong Kong, the Tennis Classic has a shorter history and is yet to reach its pinnacle.
Since the year 1948, the Hong Kong Football Association has organized a football tournament to coincide with the Chinese New Year. This commenced as a club tournament and later grew into a national tournament with wide recognition and sponsorship. In a country where much of the culture is wrapped around sports, the festivities and exhilaration created by the football tournament during the first and fourth days of the New Year keep everyone's adrenaline pumping.
