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Mike Chan

Hong Kong’s community of “masters” athletes has been tipped to grow after the city brought home bagfuls of medals from the past two global championships.
Colin Whittington, chairman of the Athletics Veterans of Hong Kong, predicted that the number of senior competitors would only continue to rise as the public became more aware of the need to stay fit and healthy as they got older.
Whittington also expected to see the city sending a large team to the next World Masters Athletics Championships (WMAC) in Daegu next year.
WMAC are the biennial championships for masters athletics – aged 35 or above – which is divided into five-year age groups. For example, the M35 group is for male athletes aged 35 to 39 years while the W40 group is for female athletes between the ages of 40 and 44, and so on.
At the latest indoor edition in Gainesville, Florida last month, four Hongkongers – Aldo Kriel, Max Siu Yau-ming, Grace Tong and Ivy Mok Oi-yee – competed, and returned with three medals.
Siu pocketed bronze in the men’s triple jump (70-74) with a 9.48-metre jump while Kriel added two more bronze medals in the men’s 45-to-49 group, crossing the finish line in 23.68 seconds in the 200m and recording a 6.05m leap in the long jump.

“I think the past 10 years have really taken off in terms of the number of people taking part from Hong Kong,” Whittington said. “There is a growing awareness among our ageing population to stay fit and active, so, I think it’s got a very good base now and it’s growing rapidly.
“Masters athletics offers a wonderful outlet. In a lot of cases, it offers those that used to compete in their younger years an opportunity to continue their athletic career competing against their peers.”
Whittington added that local athletes had been competing in masters athletics championships regionally or internationally for more than three decades. A lot of them just want to “keep going as they get older, in an environment where they can keep competing”.
“The policy [of World Masters Athletics] is sport for all: there are no entry qualifications – if people want to come out and run 100m at the World Championships for masters athletes, they can do that,” he said. “Very few other sports are allowed to do that, so it is a big incentive for people that want to come along and give it a go.”
At the last outdoor championships at the Slottsskogsvallen and the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden last August, more than 50 Hongkongers made the long trip and came back with two gold, one silver and eight bronze medals, placing the city at No 38 among 110 nations taking part.
“It was one of the largest overseas teams we’ve had, and it was an outstanding effort,” Whittington said.

“The next Asian Masters Championships is likely to be held in India in early November, I’m sure we’ll have a reasonable-sized team. The World Masters will be hosted by Daegu next year – I’m pretty sure we’ll have a very good team for that, too.”
One athlete potentially making it to South Korea is Kriel, who takes part in these events out of a passion for running.
A digital programme director at HSBC, Kriel said he enjoyed the planning and technical aspects of athletics. The 45-year-old hired a personal trainer to help achieve his goals.
“I will continue as long as I can,” he said. “It’s the world outdoor championships next year, and I want to make the final, if possible, which means top eight in the world in the 200m and the 100m.
“And in the longer term, I want to win a gold medal somewhere along the line, with potentially a world record, before I hang up my spikes.”


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Hong Kong’s Aldo Kriel (left) won bronze in the 200m for men aged 45-49 at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Florida last month. Photo: Handout

From left, Grace Tong, Max Siu, Aldo Kriel and Ivy Mok at the WMAC in Florida. Photo: Handout

Max Siu with his men’s triple jump bronze medal in Florida. Photo: Handout

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City expects to send large team of senior track-and-field competitors to World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu next year


City expects to send large team of senior track-and-field competitors to World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu next year.


Why Hong Kong could see boom in athletics for veterans who won’t stop competing

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}City expects to send large team of senior track-and-field competitors to World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu next year

City expects to send large team of senior track-and-field competitors to World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu next year