Hong Kong trail runner Wong Ho-chung hit by quarantine changes, coach blasts government for giving Nicole Kidman ‘free pass’
- Wong, in France preparing for UTMB, now has to quarantine for 21 days instead of seven upon returning from gruelling 171km race
- North Face team director Ryan Blair worries the city’s most decorated racer could sustain injuries after hotel lockdown
This was just the start of what North Face Adventure Team director Ryan Blair said has been a “nightmare”, all while Wong is preparing for one of the most important races of his career.
“Wong is a world-class athlete from Hong Kong competing at the de facto world championships of his sport who also has dedicated his career life as a firefighter helping Hong Kong,” said Blair, who travelled with the racer along with other team members and support crew overseas.
“And he has undergone multiple types of Covid tests and vaccines, yet he has to deal with being stranded abroad and a 21-day quarantine, while a foreign Australian actress get a free pass and not even one day of quarantine?”
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Blair said the news of the extended quarantine was just the start, as they had a difficult time trying to book a new hotel for Wong.
“There were several people involved for a week tying to coordinate and find 21-day hotels and flight changes and it’s total chaos and a headache because the three-week quarantine change was announced as he was getting on the aeroplane,” said Blair, who added that trying to get around the new measures is impossible as all flights to the United Arab Emirates and Thailand have been cancelled until September.
“His wife is supporting him here and they have three young sons at home now they can’t see for five weeks and have to find others to take care of them.”
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Wong was the top runner from Asia at the last UTMB race where he became the first Hong Kong racer to place in the top 10 as he finished sixth. Wong is synonymous with trail running in Hong Kong and has won a plethora of Asian competitions including Korea’s DMZ stage Ultra, the Philippines’ North Face 100 and Hong Kong’s King of the Hills.
Wong said this is the last thing he needs on his mind when he is about to compete internationally for Hong Kong on Friday evening (France time).
“It’s a bit disappointing the Hong Kong government make this so difficult for me,” said Wong, who has been a local firefighter for 14 years. “Already I got two vaccine shots, antibodies test, two Covid tests, and yet now a hotel quarantine for 21 days? What is the point of all the tests and vaccine then? It just feels like a total waste of my effort and time.
“I have been preparing more than six months for this competition and they announced the three week change the day I’m leaving to the airport, making it impossible to book hotels and change flights so quickly, not to mention the huge costs now that are added for me and my support team.”
Blair said this type of governance is sadly the norm when it comes to Hong Kong, and he has not considered reaching out to officials knowing he will most likely not even get an answer, or simply a stock response.
He said the worst part is that Wong will not be prepared for such a long quarantine period after completing such a gruelling race (171 kilometres) at high altitude against the best runners on the planet, most of whom will not have to quarantine at all upon returning home.
“Also a three-week quarantine will potentially and can significantly impact the rest of race season,” said Blair. “Last time his teammate Stingray [John Ray Onifa] was forced to quarantine for two weeks, and this triggered a string of injuries for the rest of the year. These guys are like racehorses and can’t just shut down their bodies in a small hotel room.”
