Ivan Sam Iat Fong (dressed in a green t-shirt) presents the event along with other members of the organization
The Oxfam Towerrun charity race will make a comeback this fall at the Macau Tower, following “great support from the public” last year. Two local groups have already registered.
Organized by Oxfam’s Hong Kong branch, the initiative aims to raise funds for a financial reserve dedicated to emergency relief works. This year’s race will be held on September 13 again at the Macau Tower, one of the region’s newest landmarks. The race will require the runners and donors to run up 1,298 flights of steps to the tower’s main observation deck on level 61 in the individual full-race challenge. The organizer also welcomes group participation for the team relay challenge, which involves the participation of four athletes in each team. For runners looking for a less demanding run, the organizer has introduced an additional half-race category to the game this year.
“We received great support from the public last year when the event was held for the first time; this year let’s keep the event going on. It’s very challenging to finish all the 1,298 steps, yet it’s way harder to keep running on the poverty-relief road. Therefore, I invite everyone to support Oxfam in contributing to its success to better the poor’s livelihood,” advocated Ivan Sam Iat Fong, a member of the board of directors of the NGO, during a press conference yesterday.
Oxfam expects a higher athlete turnout this year than the approximate 100 participants who completed the challenge last year, who contributed a total of HKD100,000 to the group’s charity actions. As a major sponsor for the event, AIA Group Limited promised to donate an extra HKD100 for every single race-finisher in its bid to encourage more runners to cross the finish line. The minimum donation amounts for the individual full-race, half-race and group categories this year are MOP/HKD500, MOP/HKD300 and MOP/HKD5,000 respectively.
According to Oxfam’s figures, there are currently over 60 million impoverished mainland Chinese children left behind in their grandparents’ homes by their parents, who flock to other cities in search of work opportunities. This number is constantly on the rise.
The NGO was founded in 1976 and has branches set up worldwide. Last year, it invested HKD212 million in 932 charitable projects in 29 countries. Staff reporter
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