Olympic Swimmers and Business Leaders to Race Around Hong Kong To Address City's Chronic Swim Illiteracy
HONG KONG, Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 4th, five teams of elite swimmers and business leaders, including the likes of Hong Kong Olympic swimmer Camille Cheng and educationalist and investor Philip Sohmen, are coming together to 'Make Waves for Hong Kong', a multi-relay swim around Hong Kong Island. This unique endeavour aims to raise HK$2.5 million for Hong Kong charity Splash Foundation to help address chronic swim illiteracy in the city.
Five teams, consisting of 30 elite swimmers and business leaders, will embark on a challenging 45-kilometre relay swim around Hong Kong Island on November 4th, 2023. (Photo credit: Anthony Kwan)
Cheng, fresh from her Asian Games double relay bronzes, and Sohmen, himself a former competitor in both the Hong Kong swimming and water polo teams, will swim with each other to raise money in a bid to give thousands more children and adults the opportunity to learn to swim.
Swimming for Wellbeing
For double Hong Kong Olympic swimmer and mental health advocate, Camille Cheng, this will be her second time leading a relay team for this iconic swim.
"Swimming is much bigger than just times or rankings, " said Cheng. "The stories from Splash Foundation's beneficiaries about how swimming impacted them and their mental health resonated with me. By doing this relay, we want to enable thousands of people to utilise swimming as the powerful resource it can be to nurture health and confidence."
For Sohmen, this will be the first time attempting the swim, facing busy marine traffic, potential adverse weather conditions and jellyfish prone waters.
Sohmen said, "Swimming has had a wonderful positive impact on my life - the physical and mental challenge, the chance to explore new places, or just to relax and rejuvenate - it's a source of joy that should be shared and made accessible to everyone in our city. We have an opportunity to share that joy through this swim and we invite the community to help us reach our goal of teaching thousands more to swim."
Chronic Swim Illiteracy in Hong Kong
Despite having the longest coastline of any city and an abundance of swimming pools, around half of Hong Kongers are unable to swim, leaving a significant portion of the population vulnerable to water-related risks and barred from the physical, mental and social wellbeing benefits of being in the water. With Make Waves for Hong Kong, the parties involved are committed to help breaking down financial and cultural barriers and to broaden the community's opportunities to acquire this life skill.
The beneficiary of the swim, Splash Foundation, has taught over 6,000 people to swim since 2015. Their programmes are free-of-cost to learners across the city and see a 90% success rate at the end of 20 hours of instruction. By supporting the event, sponsors and donors will be contributing directly to the wellbeing of Hong Kong residents and the future swim literacy of the city.
Roy Pang, Chairperson of Splash Foundation, who is also swimming in the relay, said: "Splash provides incredible opportunities for our underprivileged communities to learn key water safety and swimming skills in a uniquely fun and empowering environment. Even though each person's journey is different, I've loved seeing our learners (Splashers) all gain tremendous confidence, resilience and joy at the end of their programs. With Make Waves for Hong Kong, this iconic swim demonstrates the power of swimming to bring people from all walks of life together. I hope our teams' efforts can inspire more non-swimmers to sign up with Splash, paving the way for stronger, healthier and more active communities in our beloved city."
'Make Waves for Hong Kong' is scheduled to start in the early morning hours of Saturday November 4th from Sandy Bay, near Cyberport, on the south side of Hong Kong Island. 30 swimmers in five teams will swim continuously for 11-13 hours.
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