The annual Bun Carnival is coming soon. The Bun Scrambling Competition, which is the finale of the exciting event, will be held at the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground on Cheung Chau in the night on May 12. Physically fit people aged 18 or above are welcome to take part in the event by submitting applications from Wednesday (February 20) to March 20.
The Bun Scrambling Competition comprises three stages – training, selection of finalists and the final competition. All applicants who have completed the safety training sessions to be provided on April 14 on bun tower climbing and prevention of falls can enter the finalist selection exercise in the afternoon of April 21.
In order to provide more opportunities for participants to practise bun tower climbing and the use of safety devices, an additional practice session will be introduced on April 19 this year, which was originally the fall-back day of the training sessions, for the participants who have completed the safety training sessions on April 14 to join in.
The selection contest will be divided into two rounds. Twenty-four contestants recording the shortest time in the preliminary round, including no fewer than six female participants, will be eligible to enter the semi-final, during which they will compete for the 12 finalist places.
The 12 finalists, comprising no fewer than three female participants, will be shortlisted in the selection exercise to enter the Bun Scrambling Competition to be held from 11.30pm on May 12 to 12.45am on May 13.
All male and female finalists will compete in the same race during the final competition. They will have to scramble for buns, which carry different scores at different points, on the bun tower within a time limit. The one with the highest total score will be the winner. Moreover, the participant who bags the most buns within the specified time will be the prize winner of "Full Pockets of Lucky Buns".
To acknowledge the outstanding achievement of the winners and make the event more appealing, an award was introduced with effect from 2016 under which any male or female athlete who has won the first prize three times in the Bun Scrambling Competition will win the award and become the "King of Kings" or the "Queen of Queens" of the competition.
In addition, local Cheung Chau organisations and athletes from Hong Kong's neighbouring regions are invited to take part in the Bun Scrambling Invitation Relay. The three-member teams will compete in the relay which will be held immediately after the individual competition.
Prospectuses and enrolment forms for the Bun Scrambling Competition will be available from February 20 at the 18 District Leisure Services Offices of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), and sports centres in Islands District. They can also be obtained from the LCSD website.
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 20. Applicants may also fax the forms to 2854 3949.
The maximum number of entrants for the Bun Scrambling Competition is 200. If the applications received exceed the quota, places will be allocated by ballot. Applicants who live, work or study on Cheung Chau will have priority in the ballot.
Besides the Bun Scrambling Competition, this year's Bun Carnival will also feature a wide array of activities, including the Climbing Carnival and the Student Colouring and Drawing Competitions.
The colouring competition is organised for kindergarten students in Islands District while the drawing competition is open for the district's primary students. Both competitions aim to promote the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival's tradition of bun scrambling and local customs among youngsters. The submission of applications has already closed. Winners of the competitions will be notified via their respective schools in mid-March.
At the Climbing Carnival to be held on May 4, there will be bun tower climbing relay competitions, the bun tower climbing fun day, game stalls, handicrafts and variety shows. A Wishing Bun Tower will also be set up and winning works of the Student Colouring and Drawing Competitions will be displayed. Members of the public are welcome to join the carnival on the spot. Local tertiary institutions, government departments, public utilities and commercial and industrial organisations are invited to take part in the bun tower climbing relay competition.
The 2019 Bun Carnival is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the LCSD. For enquiries, please contact the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD on 2852 3220, or visit the LCSD website.
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