26th Official Asian Games Fun Run in Hong Kong, China  18-06-2006

Over three hundred children sprinted to the finish line in front of the Wanchai Sports Stadium, on Sunday 18th June, as part of the 26th Official Asian Games Fun Run.  The Fun Run was held alongside the Olympic Day Run which consisted of 3000 participants.  The two runs together provided a festival of sport with stalls from local sporting associations showcasing their sports through games and demonstrations.

 

Organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the  Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, the fun run was open to ages nine to nineteen.  All the children took part in a group aerobic warm up before the start of the fun run which was lead by three of the national team from the Hong Kong Thai Boxing Association.   These athletes had recently come back from Thai Boxing Championships in Bangkok, where they won a variety of medals.

 

The fun run route took the children past Golden Bauhinia Square on the waterfront of Wanchai.  This significant landmark represents the return of the former British Colony to the People's Republic of China (PRC). 

 

Each child that took part was rewarded with a certificate of achievement and a limited edition 15th Asian Games T-shirt from the OCA.

 

Special guests from the East Asian Games Association, Mr TU Mingde, Vice President, Chinese Olympic Committee, Mr Kevin CHEN Kuo I, Secretary General, and Mrs Frances WANF LEE, Director of International Affairs, Chinese Taipei NOC and Mr Gordan CHU, Vice President, Guam NOC, attended the event.

 

Mr Timothy Fok, President, Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, opened the fun run alongside Orry, the Official Mascot of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006. Orry proved to be quite a hit with the children as well as the other participants from the Olympic Day Run and posed for numerous photos with his fans.

 

The event attracted wide-spread press attention with most of the daily English and Mandarin papers attending the event.  Television Broadcasts Limited and Radio Television Hong Kong also attended the event to capture all the action.