New World Harbour Race 2023, the annual sports extravaganza title sponsored by New World Development Company Limited (“New World Development”) and organised by Hong Kong China Swimming Association (“HKGSA”), was successfully held in Victoria Harbour today. About 3,000 swimmers started from the Golden Bauhinia Square Public Pier in Wan Chai and completed the 1-km distance swim across the harbour to the finish at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Organiser joined hands with FTLife, Premium Sponsor of the New World Harbour Race, to inject new elements to the race by debuting the first-ever harbourside playpark, the “FTLife Presents: #PowerUp on the Harbour”, allowing citizens to get close to our beloved Victoria Harbour in a whole new aspect, swarming Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade with people, celebrating the theme of “Empower Happy Waves for All” together.

The gun-firing ceremony was officiated by Mr. Eric Chan, Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr. Kevin Yeung, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of HKSAR, Dr. Adrian Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of New World Development Company Limited and the Executive Directors of NWD Mr. Eric Ma and Mr. Nam Hoi Sitt, Hon. Kenneth Fok, Member of Legislative Council, Mr. King Shing Tang, Chairman of Hong Kong Sports Institute and Mr. John West, Member of Open Water Swimming Technical Committee of World Aquatics, joined Mr. Ronnie Wong, President of HKGSA, marking the official opening of the New World Harbour Race at 7:30am in the morning.

Not only this year’s race includes the Racing and Leisure groups, it also sees the return of the International Category, in which top swimmers from all over the world are competing in the New World Harbour Race. Swimmers from the Greater Bay Area are also participating in the Leisure group. The Race has also been recognised as one of the “M” Mark mega sports event this year by the Major Sports Events Committee.

The spotlight was on the Racing Group of around 200 swimmers that took to the water first. After a morning of intense competition, Japan swimmers Kaiki Furuhata and Hanao Kato clocked 14’43.9 and 15’46.3 respectively, triumphing in the Men’s and the Women's International Racing Group respectively. Local young swimmer Li Edmil Kong Fei was declared the champion in the “FTLife New World Springboard Championship”, with a time of 24’32.2. Full results of the race will be uploaded to the New World Harbour Race website (https://www.hkharbourrace.com).

NWD: Injecting Innovative Elements into Mega Sports Events

“As a much regarded annual sports extravaganza, the New World Harbour Race provides swimmers with a unique opportunity to take a competitive dip in the Harbour,” said President of HKGSA Mr Ronnie Wong. “We would like to express our gratitude to the relevant government departments and organisations for their cooperation and to New World Development for their unremitting support, without which we would not be able to make the New World Harbour Race a success. It is also a great honour that the Race is reckoned as a “M” Mark event, and we anticipate to make the Race an annual gathering of international swimmers.”

Mr Nam Hoi Sitt, Executive Director of New World Development, said, “The New World Harbour Race is a sports event of the city, and also an incredible time for people to celebrate around the Harbour. NWD injects innovative elements into the iconic Hong Kong sporting event, and we are proud to debut the first-ever harbour playpark in Hong Kong, allowing the citizens to experience the beauty of the Victoria Harbour in an unique way. By hosting large-scale events along the globally acclaimed Victoria Harbour, we also anticipate to enhance Hong Kong's reputation as the city of mega events."

Harbour Playpark a big success, an “Instagrammable” attraction to all

Meanwhile, the organiser debuted the first-ever harbourside playpark namely the “FTLife Presents: #PowerUp on the Harbour”, celebrating the theme of “Empower Happy Waves for All”. The Harbour Playpark design embraced the concept of New World Harbour Race, the spectacular Victoria Harbour scenery, and happiness, and includes six attractions that are suitable for all. The “Harbour on the Roll”, “Harbour Bounce”, “Blissful #PowerUp Floaties Pool” allow participants to enjoy themselves on the world-famous Victoria Harbour; while the “Infinity Swings” and the New World Harbour Race Mega Buoy allowing participants to take “Instagrammable” pictures with the unique and stunning Harbour view as a background. Citizens and tourists also flocked to the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, gathering outside of the playpark to capture the 10-meter-long “The Wondering Swimmer”.

Mr Man Kit Ip, Chief Executive Officer of FTLife, said, “We are delighted to be the Premium Sponsor of this year’s New World Harbour Race, which is a perfect extension of one of our four life pillars ─ ‘PowerUp’ being our flagship campaign this year. It's gratifying to see the enthusiastic support from young families for our title sponsored ‘New World Springboard Championship’ and ‘#PowerUp on the Harbour’ Playpark in Hong Kong. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with New World Development in the future, consistently creating unique and unforgettable ‘PowerUp’ experiences for every family.”

New World Harbour Race International Racing Group Men’s Individual

New World Harbour International Race Racing Group Women’s Individual

New World Harbour Race FTLife New World Springboard Championship

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