The organizer of the city's yearly long-distance run follows through on its ultimatum and cancels after receiving no response from the government.
Public relations related to the Hong Kong finance sector just took another hit after the organizer of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon made good on an ultimatum to cancel the 2022 event if the government did not respond by last week.
«The decision is made based on the fact that with only two months remaining before the event day, there is insufficient time for runners and relevant stakeholders to adequately prepare for the race,» according to a statement issued last Friday by the Hong Kong Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA).
Government Shock
Secretary for Culture, Sports, and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said he was shocked by the announcement, adding that colleagues had been sent thereafter to offer help to the HKAAA.
Separately, Yeung also spoke on the radio recently and stated that two others sporting events, including the Rugby Sevens, would go ahead as planned.
The HSBC-sponsored rugby event will resume after two consecutive years of being canceled while the Standard Chartered Marathon, originally scheduled for November 20, isn't going ahead for the first time related to the pandemic.
Nowhere Cruise
In a separate but similar development, the «South China Morning Post», citing travel industry insiders, reported Monday (paywall) that the Royal Caribbean may fully cancel service from the city in the near term given it has taken too long to get permission from health authorities for is cruise-to-nowhere service.
According to the sources, the company had apparently lost patience after waiting a month for any response from the government and was now not seeking to return the Spectrum of the Seas to the city. It had sent the cruise ship to Singapore in February after the so-called cruises were suspended during the fifth wave of COVID-19 infections. The cruises benefited from popular uptake during much of the pandemic, as quarantine restrictions limited the ability of many to travel abroad and freely engage in leisure activities.
