The 40th edition of the Macau Walk for a Million, organised by the Charity Fund from the Readers of Macao Daily News, was held simultaneously offline and online yesterday, having attracted about 120,000 participants, or 18 percent of the population, and raised over 18 million patacas, according to a statement by the organiser.
The Chinese-language Macao Daily News is the top-selling newspaper of the city.
This year was the first time since 2019 that the event resumed its charity walk offline again, after having been held entirely online from 2020 to 2022 due to the three-year COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting near the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre on Avenida Dr Sun Yat-Sen at 10 a.m., the 4-km-long charity walk took participants through Praça do Lago Sai Van and along Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho, on to Avenida da República, to the bus terminus at Largo do Pagode da Barra outside A-Ma Temple.
The statement said that the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which took place at the starting point just before 10 a.m., was officiated by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Vice Chairman Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Macau Liaison Office Deputy Director Yan Zhichan, Foreign Ministry Commissioner Liu Xianfa, Legislative Assembly (AL) President Kou Hoi In, Macau Chamber of Commerce (ACM) President Chui Sai Cheong and the Macau Chinese Enterprises Association President Fu Jianguo, as well as the charity fund’s President Tina Ho Teng Iat, Vice-President Lok Po and Board of Directors President Vong Kok Seng, among other honorary presidents.
According to a report published yesterday by the Macao Daily News, Tina Ho, the charity fund’s president, expressed her gratitude to all participating groups and individuals for their continuous support of her organisation and the acts of philanthropy over the past four decades. On the occasion of the campaign’s 40th anniversary, Ho said she was grateful to see people from all walks of life in Macau being able to gather together once again after a three-year hiatus, adding that the walk would “likely” continue to be held in hybrid format [offline and online] in years to come.
Meanwhile, the charity fund noted in the statement that its WeChat “mini-programme” was open yesterday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for those who chose to participate online, by which users could track their steps and synchronise their step counts. The statement added that as of 2 p.m. yesterday, more than 27,000 participants had turned on the “exercise app”, of whom about 10,000 people walked at least 6,000 steps each and therefore were able to receive an electronic certificate, accumulating a total of over 110 million steps.
Officiating guests and representatives of the organiser, including Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (centre), National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Vice Chairman Edmund Ho Hau Wah (sixth from left), Macau Liaison Office Deputy Director Yan Zhichan (sixth from right), Foreign Ministry Commissioner Liu Xianfa (fifth from left) and Legislative Assembly (AL) President Kou Hoi In (fifth from right), as well as the Charity Fund from the Readers of Macao Daily News President Tina Ho Teng Iat (second from right), pose at yesterday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Walk for a Million near the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre. – Photo: GCS
Groups of participants gather on Avenida Dr Sun Yat-Sen before the start of yesterday’s Walk for a Million. – Photo: Gabriel Tam
Groups of participants walk along Avenida Dr Sun Yat-Sen during yesterday’s Walk for a Million, among them Health Bureau (SSM) Director Dr Alvis Lo Iek Long (second from left, front) leading the staff of his bureau. – Photo: Gabriel Tam
