Into the Deep End: Up to 4,000 swimmers to take part in this year’s cross-harbor race

Hong Kong’s annual cross-harbor swimming race will follow an all-new route this year, setting off from the Public Pier in Wan Chai and ending at the newly renovated Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, organizers announced today.

Registration is now open for the the New World Harbour Race, which is organized by the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association and sponsored by the New World Development Company Limited, and is scheduled to take place on Oct. 27. The limit on the number of participants has been raised to 4,000, with organizers hoping to make this year’s the biggest harbor race so far.

Last year saw about 3,600 races take part in the race, which was first held in 1906, only to be suspended in the 1970s over pollution fears, then revived in 2011.

Like previous years, the race will be divided into “racing” and “leisure” groups, which will each follow a roughly one-kilometer route. Additionally, an “international” category is being introduced this year, with 50 elite swimmers from around the world invited to take part on a much longer five-kilometer route. A “university championship” featuring teams from 11 local institutions of higher learning will also be added to the racing group.

With the new elements and potentially increased participation, the organizers hoped to “enrich this signature event and enhance the experience of swimmers,” Amateur Swimming Association President Ronnie Wong was quoted as saying in a statement.

Registration for the race is open until 5pm on Aug. 21. To ensure swimmers’ safety, participants in both the racing and leisure groups must meet entry requirements set by the organizers, and those who do not have a race record with the Amateur Swimming Association have to take part in a compulsory time-trial in September.

Safety concerns over the race came to the fore in 2016, when two swimmers died after being pulled from the water unconscious. The death spurred an extensive review, and led to a number of changes, including measures to ease congestion, according to the SCMP.