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Applications for this year's Bun Scrambling Competition will close next Thursday (March 21). The event is the finale of the 2013 Bun Carnival, and climbers shouldn't miss the chance to join in.
As one of the highlights of the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival, bun scrambling is a well-known traditional festive event in Hong Kong and has been well received by local residents and visitors. The event will be held on the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground, Cheung Chau, on the night of May 17. Physically fit people aged 18 or above are welcome to join the competition.
The maximum number of entrants is 200. If the applications exceed the quota, places will be allocated by ballot. Applicants who live, work or study on Cheung Chau will have priority in the ballot.
The China Hong Kong Mountaineering and Climbing Union will provide selected applicants with safety training sessions on bun tower climbing and prevention of falling on April 28. All selected applicants must attend the safety training sessions before participating in the selection of finalists in the afternoon of May 5.
A total of 12 shortlisted finalists, comprising nine male and three female participants, will compete in the same race during the Bun Scrambling Competition but the results of the men's team and the women's team will be ranked separately. The competition will be held from 11.30pm on May 17 to about 12.30am on May 18. Competitors have to scramble for the buns, which carry different scores, on the bun tower within a time limit. The one with the highest total score will be the winner.
As in last year's event, Cheung Chau local organisations and athletes from Hong Kong's neighbouring regions are invited to take part in the Bun Scrambling Invitation Relay, to be held immediately after the individual competition. The three-member teams will compete in the relay in which team members will climb the bun tower in sequence to grab designated buns. The team that completes the task in the shortest time will be the winner.
Prospectuses and enrolment forms for the Bun Scrambling Competition are available at the 18 District Leisure Services Offices of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), at sports centres in Islands District, and from supporting organisers. They can also be downloaded from the LCSD website on www.lcsd.gov.hk/specials/bun2013/en/index.php .
Completed enrolment forms should be returned by hand or by post to the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD at Room 622, 6/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong, on or before March 21. Applicants may also fax the forms to 2854 3949.
Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the LCSD, the 2013 Bun Carnival is presented with the support of the Cheung Chau Wai Chiu County Association Limited, the Cheung Chau Rural Committee, the Islands District Office and the China Hong Kong Mountaineering and Climbing Union, and sponsored by Lukfook Jewellery, A.S. Watsons Water and the Islands District Council.
The 2013 Bun Carnival will be held between April 28 and May 18. Training sessions on bun tower climbing will open the carnival, while a splendid array of activities including selection of finalists for the competition and the Climbing Carnival will come after. The highlight event is the Bun Scrambling Competition, to be held on the night of the Buddha's Birthday.
For enquiries on the above activities, please contact the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD at 2852 3220, or visit the department's website.
Ends/Thursday, March 14, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:01
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