By Lars Hamer

Copyright scmp

Around 600 Hong Kong swimmers took part in the Cross Tolo Harbour Open Race on Sunday, despite amber rainstorm and thunderstorm warning signals being raised.
The Hong Kong Observatory had raised the thunderstorm warning at 11.15pm on Saturday, and stated explicitly that people should not swim outdoors.
The open-water race’s organisers, the Tai Po Sports Association, were adamant that the warning had not been issued, and chairman Henry Choi Kam-kong said that if that had been the case, the event would have been postponed.
The organisers had stated before Sunday that if a thunderstorm or strong monsoon signal was raised, they would decide before 6am whether to proceed.

Hong Kong was bracing for the approaching Tropical Storm Ragasa, which was set to intensify into a super typhoon and bring hurricane-force winds to the city by Wednesday.
“Since the [Tropical Depression Mitag] just passed, rain was expected,” Choi said after Sunday’s race. “Fortunately, before today’s event, there was no red rainstorm, black rainstorm and no thunderstorms.”
When informed that the thunderstorm warning was in place, Choi doubled down. “The guidelines explicitly state that during red and black [rainstorm signals], including thunderstorm warnings, if a thunderstorm occurs, the event would be cancelled and immediately halted,” he said.
“There was absolutely no thunderstorm warning before the start. We didn’t receive any notification. We in Tai Po always follow the observatory’s thunderstorm warnings and radar reports.”
The Post has contacted the Leisure and Cultural Services Department for comment.
The observatory’s thunderstorm warning from Saturday remained in place into Sunday evening. It stated: “Leave the water. Do not swim outdoors or engage in other outdoor watersports.”
The amber rainstorm warning was issued at 9.10am on Sunday. At 10.10am, 20 minutes before the race’s official start time, the observatory published another update, stating that the Tai Po district, where the race was held, was at risk of heavy rainfall and flooding.
The 2.6km (1.62-mile) race from Sha Lan to Tai Mei Tuk Water Sports Centre started at around 10.45am after organisers waited for the rain to subside. The rain started again not long after the first group of swimmers got in the water.
Choi said that near the end of the race, organisers started to hear news of thunderstorms, but at that point, participants had already started exiting the water.
“We were actually quite fortunate,” he said. “By the final stretch, maybe around the last third, that’s when we started hearing about thunderstorms.”
Lee Chak-fung was the winner of the men’s race. The 16-year-old finished in 33 minutes and 43.27 seconds.
“I felt good about my [time], because the weather was still not good,” Lee said. “I was a little bit [nervous], because when I [swam], I could hear the rain and the sound of the thunderstorm.”

Lee Hei-man, 14, won the women’s event, coming home in 35:09.21.
The race boasted swimmers of all ages, with seven 10-year-olds being the youngest. The oldest man involved was 76, and Jennifer Ng was the oldest woman, at 62.
“I’ve been swimming for a long time, decades, about 30 years, and I started competing in long-distance races in ’96,” Ng said. “I’m very satisfied [with my race]. I’m old now, over 60 – look at my wrinkled face.”
Asked about the weather warnings, Ng was unfazed. “I wanted to swim,” she said.