Search for missing triathlete who started swimming during amber warning
Hong Kong emergency services are searching for a missing 59-year-old man who may have drowned after he entered the swim leg of a triathlon in the city amid an amber rainstorm warning. Police told the South China Morning Post that they received a report at 7.57am on Sunday that a male participant of the 2026 Summer Triathlon Challenge at Tai Mei Tuk Water Sports Centre in Tai Po had entered the…
A retired marine police officer, Ma Chi-po, aged 59, went missing during a triathlon race in Hong Kong when conditions were marked with an amber rainstorm warning. The event, the 2026 Summer Triathlon Challenge, took place at Tai Mei Tuk Water Sports Centre. Ma entered the water at 6:12am but failed to resurface. The Fire Services Department found his body at 3:17pm, and he was pronounced dead at 3:33pm.
An expert, Patrick Lau Wing-chung, has called for triathlon events to be suspended during amber rainstorm warnings due to unpredictable weather. He cited the increasing volatility of extreme weather and the potential dangers it poses, such as impaired visibility and the risk of drowning. The Triathlon Association of Hong Kong China expressed condolences to Ma's family and stated that the race would be cancelled if a high-threat weather signal was issued two hours before the event.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
