Author: admin

Happy New Year and Kung Hei Fat Choi!

The running scene in Hong Kong looks set to resume with a number of races being launched. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to make sure that your AVOHK and HKAAA memberships are up-to-date. AVOHK annual membership runs from January till December and can be renewed through the “Membership” tab on our website at a cost of $150, or $75 for those over 60. Alternatively, the single payment of $1,000 for life members is a great deal and there is no need to renew this annually once you have signed up. For regular runners, membership of AVOHK pays for itself as it allows discounted entry to all AVOHK races, as well as heavily-subsidized social events. By also registering as an athlete with HKAAA, you then become eligible for priority club entry to HKAAA events, such as the Standard Chartered Marathon. Many of our junior runners compete regularly in HKAAA track and field meets. HKAAA membership is separate to AVOHK membership and can be processed through their website at www.hkaaa.com. This needs to be renewed annually in order to be eligible for priority entry.

AVOHK Anniversary Relay

Following the success of our anniversary runs at the end of last year, we will be holding another relay race on February 25th at Central Waterfront. The emphasis is on fun and is free to all members, but you can also rope in a couple of friends to make up a team. Full details can be found at www.avohk.org.

Finally, I would like to wish the very best of luck to all AVOHK runners who will be racing in the various distances at the Standard Chartered Marathon next month!

Elaine Hall
Chair AVOHK

As the year draws to a close, the focus for many masters athletes in Hong Kong in 2022 has been on the track rather than the road. The reopening of Scheduled Premises, such as sports grounds, has made it relatively easier to organise events within these premises, while permits and exemptions for road races have still proved elusive. The recent announcement that The Standard Chartered Marathon is able to increase its entry field slightly gives us some hope that things can change in 2023. Now is a good time to make sure that your AVOHK and HKAAA memberships are up-to-date in order to give yourself the best chance of getting on start lists in 2023!

7th HK Masters Track and Field Championships
Congratulations to the AVOHK team who took part in the meet at Tin Shui Wai earlier this month. Our women finished 5th overall and our men were 6th out of all the clubs participating. We had many verystrong performances and special mention must be made of members Lau Hoi-lam who was the overall champion in W35-39 and dominated the field events. Yau Tsui-fun was the overall champion in W45-49 and broke the 400m record in the process! Full results can be found at www.pacers.org.hk.

2023 World Masters Short Course Cross-Country Championships
We don’t yet have any Hong Kong representatives for the event which will take place on 18-19 February 2023 in Bathurst, Australia. There are full details on the AVOHK website and any questions should be addressed to Colin Whittington, who is planning to attend the event, at vice-chair@avohk.org.

2023 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships, Torun
With the recent easing of travel restrictions, Hong Kong will be sending a strong team to The World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland. There is a great website with all the details at https://wmaci2023.com. The deadline for entries is 31 January 2023, so there is still time to enter and
any athletes who were born before 26 March 1988 are eligible. Hong Kong has a great tradition of sending large delegations to these overseas meets. If you have any questions about the meet, you can contact Bill Purves at billpurves@alum.mit.edu.

I hope that you all have a lovely time over the festive period. We look forward to seeing you in 2023.

Elaine Hall, Chair AVOHK

7TH HK MASTERS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Many of our runners will be delighted to hear that the 7th HK Masters Track and Field Championships will go ahead on 27th November and 4th December 2022 at Tin Shui Wai Sports Ground. If you would like to enter as part of the AVOHK team, please complete the application form no later than midday,28 October. We would love to enter a few relay teams, so please do indicate if you would like to run in a 4×100 or 4×400 AVOHK team. AVOHK will be paying the fees for all relay teams entered.

Please support your Club and let’s make this year’s meet one to remember!

To enter, please go to the link below:

For further information, see the link from the organisers, Pacers. If you open the PDF file in the link,

you can scroll down to see details in both Chinese and English.  http://www.pacers.org.hk/2022/10/17/10853/

If you have any questions about the meet, please contact our team captain, Aldo on 6125 7913.

AVOHK’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY 5K HANDICAP RUN AND DINNER

AVOHK’s 40th Anniversary 5k Handicap Run is taking place this Saturday, 29th October, at Wanchai
Gap. It will be followed by a dinner at Fini’s in Wanchai. The run is open to members only and is free to
enter. All runners will get a special 40th Anniversary T-shirt and the first 3 to finish will get a prize.
There will also be 2 mystery prizes. You can still enter until Friday, 28th October, by going to
www.avohk.org. The link to enter is at the right-hand side of the page.

The dinner is open to members and guests at a cost of $250 for members and $300 for non-members.
There will be 2 hours of free flow drinks from 6:30 and a dinner of casual Italian food will be served at
8 o’clock. To book a place at the dinner, please email Frank at frank.riehm@gmail.com.
I hope to see many of you soon!