Investigations on extending the annual Macao International Marathon to the resort area in Cotai are underway, Director of Sports Pun Weng Kun has said in response to lawmaker Leong Sun Iok’s inquiry.
The lawmaker himself is a recreational runner and is often seen practicing in various locations across the city.
Pun said a review is conducted after every race, taking into account opinions from different sectors in society. Key attributes of the race such as the flow and content of each event are adjusted in response to the feedback to create a better environment and experience for participating runners and to promote sports tourism in Macau.
The official said his bureau “will strive to add new elements into the race route, such as passing through Estrada de Istmo,” which is colloquially referred to as the Cotai Strip.
In addition, the sport official said more touristic and cultural elements are being contemplated for inclusion “to further escalate the benefits created by major events.”
Pun also said planning for the above proposals is being conducted with relevant bureaus and entities “to constantly enrich and improve routing [and related elements]” to reduce any inconvenience to local residents and road users. The road conditions along the route are also a major concern for the bureau, because maintaining the safety of runners is critical.
Pun said plans are underway to upgrade the chip that records individual finish times for each runner. However, time-counting will still follow international practices to include the time from starting pistol to crossing the finish line.
The lawmaker, meanwhile, told local media outlet Macao Daily News that he hopes the government will work harder to make a run on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge a reality. Previously, local senior officials have hinted that such a plan may be under consideration, but underlined that it relies on attaining the consensus of three governments.
Hong Kong earlier announced that a run on the Hong Kong section of the bridge would be held at a later date.
