Clear Water Bay Second Beach is closed off 17 – 19 November to cater for the 2017 ACC Canoe Ocean Racing Asian Championships and the 2017 International Canoe Federation (ICF) World Championships. These will have their start line at Clearwater Bay, and the finish line 22.25 kilometres away at Stanley Beach.
“We hope that this event will leave a long-lasting legacy of ocean racing in Hong Kong, in Asia, and across the world. The aim is to increase participation rates in this discipline and to promote canoeing to sea-bound countries,” ICF Ocean Racing Committee Chairman, Mario Santos.
The South African team includes 2013 World Champion, Sean Rice, and his younger brother, Kenny, and world marathon champion, Hank McGregor, in the men’s event, while the women’s team includes 2013 silver medallist Michelle Burn and Olympic medallist Bridgitte Hartley.
For the first time the World Championships will include junior, U23 and masters races, as well as the inaugural Asian Championships which was contested on Friday.
“With such an impressive line-up of world-class paddlers, the World Championships will offer global and local canoe enthusiasts with exciting and unforgettable moments,” the President of the Hong Kong Canoe Union, Anthony Chan Wai-lun, said.
“Our mission is to engage the wider public in the event and encourage more people to get involved in the sport, and hopefully one day we will have a canoe ocean racing world champion of our own.”
The women’s title will be contested on Saturday, with 21 athletes from 13 nations entered in the elite race, while 42 athletes from 17 nations will contest the men’s open event on Sunday.
Part of the floating tubes of the shark prevention net will be temporarily removed from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon on the three days. The red flag will be hoisted and beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach during the period.
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