The 12th Oxfam TowerRun is scheduled to be held on October 19, with organisers hoping to raise more funds to support Oxfam’s poverty alleviation projects for left-behind children, increase the number of participants and promote health.
Speaking with English-language media after a press conference held at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre, Oxfam Hong Kong Acting Director General Henry Tang (鄧智輝) told the Post that last year’s run saw “very good results”, which raised around half a million patacas. This year, they hope to raise more, again in support of Oxfam’s poverty alleviation projects, including the education and well-being of left-behind children in the Chinese mainland, all under the theme “Every Mind Counts. Every Step Transform Lives”.
Tang told the Post that the tower run serves a dual purpose, being more than a sporting event, but also one that comes from a philanthropy perspective. Tang said he hoped that runners could not only step up and aim for good results, but also contribute towards raising funds for left-behind children in rural areas of the Chinese mainland.
Beyond raising funds, the tower run, which is also supported by the organisers of the upcoming National Games co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, is hoped to promote physical and mental health, Tang said, as well as see increased participation, noting that it is a meaningful event for the public that will also help many children.
The internationally recognised annual flagship fundraising event has the Individual Challenge featuring 61 levels (1,298 steps); Individual Challenge, a Half Race of 31 levels; the Team Challenge, a relay for teams of four of 61 levels; and the Leaders Run for seven levels.
Continuing to serve as event ambassadors for this year’s tower run are local trail runner Vivi Cheung (張盈) and 2024 World Champion Soh Wai Ching, according to yesterday’s press conference.
Soh, a professional Malaysian athlete specialising in tower runs and ranking World No. 2, told the Post during yesterday’s interview with English-speaking media that he has taken part in the tower run in the city around four times since 2019 and hopes that there will be opportunities for more tower runs in Macau, a place that he enjoys visiting.
Soh also highlighted the event’s purpose and significance, as well as how it resonates with him, saying that it is “linked to” his life. The youngest of four siblings, Soh said that his mum took care of all of them, highlighting the difficulties: “It’s kind of challenge, you know, living all by ourselves at home”.
Soh noted the event’s aim for left-behind children as well as how the initiative can help their parents, including new ones, facing challenges, adding: “The initiative is good because you support them [parents]” in taking care of and looking after their kids in addition to reducing a family’s burdens.
He went on to highlight Oxfam’s efforts in providing education, upskilling the kids and helping them learn more skills, all this being very meaningful. He also told reporters that he hopes more people can join the event this year.
Registration for the run is open until September 26, with more details available on http://www.oxfam.org.hk/towerrun.
2024 World Champion Soh Wai Ching ( front, 5th from right), local trail runner Vivi Cheung (front, 6th from right) and Oxfam Hong Kong Acting Director General Henry Tang (front, 7th from right) pose with guests and representatives attending yesterday’s press conference for the 12th Oxfam TowerRun. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
