An orienteering event with a difference will make October 21 a $2 million day, if Salvation Army hopes are realised. The Hong Kong & Macau O! Day is an army fundraiser and will include what they believe to be the first cross-border orienteering race in the region, with teams of four speeding through the
two cities guided by compasses and control points.
Orienteering isn’t that popular a sport in Hong Kong just yet, says Jason Leung, financial controller of the Youth Advance Orienteering Club, which is helping to organise the event. He thinks the cross-border race is a great idea and believes it can help promote the sport: “Its major aim is to try and attract some newcomers.” And so the orienteering standard will be suitable for beginners, with easy terrain and navigation points through the urban environment. And Leung says pollution has also been accounted for: “In choosing the route, we tried to avoid running along the heavily polluted roads,” he says.
The sport, which started off as a military exercise in Scandinavia, had its first competition in Norway back in 1897. Basically, teams or individuals use maps and compasses to navigate a set course, visiting sequential control points marked by flags. At each such point, orienteers must punch a hole in their ‘control card’. The team or individual with the best time and the correct pattern on their control card wins.
Orienteering is usually staged in densely wooded areas with challenging terrain – in Hong Kong, the handful of orienteering clubs often compete in Sai Kung. Leung prefers cross-country orienteering because of the extra challenges, the natural environment, and the fresh air. “I think city orienteering is just a stepping stone to cross-country orienteering,” he says.
That’s not to say the O! day will be, er, a walk in the park. With a number of tricks en route, Leung advises competitors to concentrate on the map and instructions, and not run too quickly or they will easily miss the orange and white flags marking control points. And then there’s the border crossing. Competitors will rely on half-hourly ferries to Macau, with no special treatment from immigration officials, who’ve been alerted to the event. Race times will be taken when teams arrive at the ferry, and restarted when they enter Macau.
The Salvation Army is hoping 100 teams will take part in the race and fill the coffers for the army’s many social services. The response to the event has been very encouraging, says Irene Lo, fundraising director. Both companies
and government departments have expressed interest in the race: “This is more encouraging than receiving money,” Lo says. In previous years, the O! Day targeted only youth orienteers, but this year the army decided to go for the corporates with their potential for more significant contributions. Lo hopes the fun-filled race – which will offer prizes and trophies, including a ‘surprise prize’ in the Macau Tower – will become an annual fixture. |
