The 11th Oxfam TowerRun will take place at Macau Tower on October 20, in the hope of raising donations of over 500,000 to 600,000 patacas to support and help left-behind children in the provinces of Guizhou, Gansu and Shaanxi lacking care and attention improve their life skills through the expected participation of 800 people from all over the world taking up the challenge of running up 1,298 steps from the ground floor of the tower to its adventure deck on the 61st floor, the event organiser said yesterday.
Registration is now open at https://bit.ly/OxfamTowerRun2024 through September 6 for those aged at least 16 in the individual race by raising a minimum of 525 HK dollars or patacas, or 5,000 HK dollars or patacas in the four-person team relay race.
Oxfam Hong Kong’s Director of Fundraising and Communications Michael Wong Ho-ming told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre yesterday about the upcoming Oxfam TowerRun that “this event is going to raise money for left-behind children in [mainland] China, which we think there’s a big need for [these children] who lack parental care and guidance. So, the funds that we raise from this event will actually help them in taking care of their health, their education and their livelihood.”
On its website, Oxfam noted that it is committed to supporting the mainland’s left-behind children by launching child development programmes in Guizhou, Gansu and Shaanxi to enhance their life skills and sense of independence. For example, in Guizhou’s city of Bijie, Oxfam provides life skills enhancement services to promote healthy living for left-behind children. In Gansu, it supports teacher training in mountainous areas, using games and stories to increase children’s interest in learning and promote their physical and mental health. In addition, Oxfam also advocates for better policies to promote equal education.
A statement released by Oxfam during yesterday’s press conference highlighted its commitment to “making the Oxfam TowerRun a major tourism and sporting event in Macau and becoming the only internationally-recognised tower running event in the city”, and Wong added that Oxfam is expecting, in particular, the participation of runners from Asia, Italy, Spain and the US who took part in last year’s tower run with the aim of breaking their own records.
Speaking to the media after the press conference, Malaysian tower runner Soh Wai Ching, ambassador of Oxfam TowerRun who emerged as the world champion in the 2024 Towerrunning World Championships, described the Oxfam TowerRun at Macau Tower as “definitely” one of the most enjoyable and memorable races. He said that the condition of the staircase “is very direct, straightforward and challenging”. Having participated in the Oxfam TowerRun twice already, in 2019 and 2023, Soh said he expected to break his previous record standing at six minutes and 42 seconds through this year’s event: “On top of that, I would like to get more and more international tower runners to come and join this event. To make this event more successful and also more exposure”.
Oxfam Hong Kong’s Director of Fundraising and Communications Michael Wong Ho-ming delivers a speech during yesterday’s press conference about the 11th Oxfam TowerRun at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre. – Photos: Yuki Lei
Malaysian tower runner Soh Wai Ching (centre) and Macau trail runner Vivi Cheung (left), both in their capacity as Oxfam TowerRun ambassadors, talk about their experiences in participating in the Oxfam TowerRun during yesterday’s press conference.
