2025-09-15
Hong Kong athletes have recently excelled on both local and international stages, demonstrating the city’s sporting potential and strength. Established by AS Watson Group, Watsons Athletic Club (WAC) has long been dedicated to nurturing local track and field talents. Its flagship event, Annual Challenge, was held again this year to encourage youth participation and exchange in one of Hong Kong’s premier athletics competitions. Taking place over two weekends—September 6, 7, 13, and 14—at Wan Chai Sports Ground, the event attracted over 6,500 participants across 21 events, with the youngest participant aged at 8 years old and achieved full registration for the 6th consecutive year.
Innovative Races Foster Unity
This year’s Annual Challenge featured male and female categories across 6 age groups, comprising 13 track events, 6 field events, and 2 relay events tailored to each division. In line with the Group’s “Year of Unity” theme, new races were introduced, including the “4x100m Relay” with teams from Group and various business units— Watsons, PARKnSHOP, Fortress, Watson’s Wine, and Watsons Water—as well as the “100m Family Relay” for employees and their children. The spirited race not only fostered team and family cohesion but also encourage employee to embrace health and wellness. For the first time, renowned brands and partners were invited to jointly promoting healthy living through interactive game booths and further energizing the event atmosphere.
Ms. Rebecca Chiu Wing Yin, Community Relations Manager of AS Watson, expressed, “Watsons Athletic Club has long been committed to promoting youth participation in athletics, nurturing thousands of athletes. As a former athlete, I am always delighted to see them surpass their limits and achieve new heights on the field. In recent years, we have been actively innovating at Watsons Athletic Club’s Annual Challenge, introducing new races such as last year’s ‘4x100 Mixed Gender Relay Challenge’ and this year’s ‘4x100m Relay’ and ‘100m Family Relay’ for employees and their families, encouraging both staff and the wider community to engage in sports.”
Cultivating Athletic Talents
Watsons Athletic Club places significant emphasis on talent discovery and daily training, with over 1,800 members. Nearly 100 athletes and coaches have become key members of Team Hong Kong, contributing to nearly 40% of the entire team. And among this year’s competition, several rising stars—including Wang Nok Wang and Kwok Chun Ting —have delivered outstanding performances, Ho Ho Wai has also broken a new Hong Kong U20 men's high jump record with a jump of 2.12 metres, demonstrating the potential of Hong Kong’s youth.
