Cheung Chau bun scramble axed amid thunderstorm

Seasoned rock climber Wong Ka-yan was ready.
It was just an hour until the annual bun scramble on Cheung Chau, and Wong, last year's female winner, was looking forward to repeating her victory.
But the weather wasn't cooperating.
Amid a thunderstorm warning, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced at 11 p.m. Monday that the race was cancelled.
It was the first time it had called off the televised event since the competition was reinstated in 2005, Metro Daily reported.
In the bun scramble, contestants clamber up scaffolding next to three towers covered with buns, trying to collect as many buns as they can.
Yung Chi-ming, chairman of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee, said the towers were made of iron, and there was a risk of electric shock during the thunderstorm.
The organizers issued a public apology to spectators, and ferries were arranged for them to leave the island at 11:30 p.m.
Wong was disappointed by the cancellation, but she said she agreed with the organizers' decision, as safety should be the top priority.
Meanwhile, the organizers ordered an additional 4,000 buns to be produced, as those on the three bun towers had been soaked in the rain over the last few days.
Traditionally, the buns on the towers are distributed to residents after the festival, a ritual that is said to bring good luck.
A representative of the organizers said the buns on the towers will be trashed, and the 4,000 new buns will be handed out Tuesday.
Would-be bun scramblers will have to wait until next year, as the LCSD said it will not be holding a make-up competition.
-- Contact us at [email protected]
EL/AC/FL
-
How GIS supports zero carbon strategy Dr. Winnie Tang
China aims to peak its CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 which is "a tough battle”, according to President Xi Jinping. It is said that even developed countries need a
-
Epidemic and 40-year-high inflation stalk HK migrants in UK Mark O'Neill
The website of the Trinity Church in Sutton, southwest London, is written in English and traditional Chinese – 歡迎香港人, Welcome Hong Kong people. “The middle of a pandemic is not an easy time to arrive
-
The privilege of shorter quarantine Ben Kwok
The nightmare of staying in a hotel for three full weeks might hopefully be over. Yesterday the National Health Commission announced to shorten the hotel quarantine period for people arriving in the
-
3D maps enhance disaster prevention and rescue Dr. Winnie Tang
Abnormal and even extreme weather has become more frequent. The Observatory forecasts that tropical cyclone incidence and total rainfall this year will be "normal to high". To be well-prepared, the
-
Ignoble ease Neville Sarony
There is no shortage of commentators, both lawyers and lay people, who feel entitled to criticize Hong Kong’s legal community for what these observers assert is a failure to stand up for the liberal