Runners complain of overcrowding after closure of sports grounds ahead of Hong Kong Marathon
Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground closed in June last year, Kowloon Bay Sports Ground closed this month for renovation
With the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon little more than a week away, local runners are struggling to find space to train at the city’s few remaining open public tracks.
The problems started after two government sports grounds in East Kowloon were closed. Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground was the first one to go last June for track resurfacing work, which is expected to finish in March.
And this month, Kowloon Bay Sports Ground closed for renovation for nine months.
To try to ease the overcrowding, Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground has opened its secondary sports area. However, many runners said that the track is only about 300 metres long and has a damaged surface, making it difficult to train for the upcoming marathon.
The closure of the sports grounds has forced a large number of runners to converge on Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground in Wong Tai Sin.
But, unsurprisingly, the sheer number of people using one sports ground has caused long queues outside Hammer Hill Road Sports Ground.