香港のビクトリアハーバー水泳大会、３年ぶりに開催

【香港ＡＦＰ＝時事】香港で１２日、ビクトリアハーバーを横断する水泳大会「ハーバーレース」が３年ぶりに開催された。（写真は香港のビクトリアハーバーで開催された水泳大会「ハーバーレース」の参加者）
　香港政府の厳格な感染対策により、参加者は通常の３０００人の半分に制限され、２回のワクチン接種と陰性証明が義務付けられた。
　政府トップの林鄭月娥（キャリー・ラム）行政長官が鳴らすエアホーン（空気警音器）を合図に、参加者は冷たい海に飛び込んだ。今年の最年長は、娘とともに参加した７９歳の女性だった。
　ハーバーレースは１９０６年に初めて開催された。１９４０年代の日本占領期には５年間中断、２０１０年までの３０年超の間も水質汚染のため中断された。２０１９年には大規模な民主派デモ、２０２０年には新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大のため２年連続で中止されていた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/12/13-13:24）

An annual swim across Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour was held Sunday for the first time in three years, after being cancelled due to the pro-democracy protests and then the pandemic.
The one-kilometre race is among the few major sporting events permitted to resume this year in the financial hub.
However, under the government's strict anti-virus restrictions only half of the usual 3,000 swimmers were allowed to compete, and all were required to have received two vaccinations and tested Covid negative prior to the event.
Double Olympic silver medal winner Siobhan Haughey was among a number of professional athletes leading cheers for the swimmers when they plunged into the cool seawater as Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam's airhorn blared.
Leung Yuen-ying, 79, the oldest swimmer this year, joined the race with her daughter.
My father used to race this so I have a special feeling for it, Leung told reporters.
I hope that one generation after another can continue to have this meaningful event in Hong Kong, she said.
The Harbour Race was scrapped last year thanks to the pandemic, with the massive pro-democracy demonstrations rocking the city causing its cancellation in 2019.
First held in 1906, it has been suspended for two periods in history -- for five years in the 1940s around the Japanese occupation, and for three decades thanks to pollution before being reinstated in 2011.
The resumption of the race comes as the city reports zero local infections for months as well as maintaining strict quarantine rules for arrivals.
Hong Kong has recorded nearly 12,500 infections and 213 deaths from the coronavirus.