Media

HKU Around the World Walking Challenge
the first university to walk around the world 7 times in a month

15 Jun 2018

With the combined effort of over 1400 people from 18 countries participating in the HKU "Around the World" Walking Challenge, 463,447,412 steps were completed in one month, which is virtually equivalent to walking 7 times around the world, and more than 7 times the original goal of 66,000,000 steps.  A prize presentation ceremony for the HKU “Around the World” Walking Challenge combined with an EIM Gold Campus certification handover was held on campus today.

As part of the “HKU Exercise is Medicine on Campus” initiative, the Centre for Sports and Exercise partnered with the Office of Vice President / Pro-Vice Chancellor (Global) to create an enhanced and unique Walk "Around the World" Challenge in 2018, with the aim of promoting fitness, healthy body and healthy mind.

Not only was the Challenge enthusiastically participated by staff, students and alumni, the HKU President’s office also formed a “Vigor^@President’s Office” team to take part in the Challenge, led by members of the HKU Senior Management Team including Acting President and Vice Chancellor Paul Tam, Vice President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global) Professor John Kao, and Vice President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) Professor Ian Holliday. Professor Holliday chalked up his highest daily step count of over 35,000 steps to help lead the team to a position of 14 out of 150 teams with a total of 3,802,754 steps taken during the month. 

Another notable participant was HKSAR Sports Commissioner, Mr. Yeung Tak Keung, who took the opportunity to join this Challenge as an alumnus of HKU and to demonstrate that as Sports Commissioner he also practices what he preaches. Mr. Yeung formed a team called ‘Old Friends’, who finished in 5^th place overall with a total of 4,822,700 steps.

Teams consisted of 6-10 walkers, and the number of steps taken by all the team members during the month of the competition counted towards their final ranking.  The team with the highest overall step count finished with 7,519,319. The team with the highest average steps completed 751,932 steps on average per team member. The individual with the highest total steps amassed a staggering 1,579,437 steps in one month. 761 people obtained the very respected “EIM 300K Club member” title, which was awarded to participants whose total steps exceeded 300,000 steps throughout the month.

Professor Tam congratulated everyone who took part in the Walking Challenge and said, “Exercise benefits everyone on campus and HKU has embraced physical activity whole-heartedly to provide a healthy and positive environment so that staff and students can thrive in their work and be energetic and productive.” 

Exercise is Medicine® on Campus (EIM-OC) is a programme managed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world.  The EIM-OC initiative calls upon universities to engage in the promotion of physical activity and encourages faculty, staff and students to work together toward improving the health and well-being of the campus community.

HKU has been awarded the Gold Level Campus designation under the EIM-OC Recognition Programme, which highlights the steps individuals are taking in leading their campuses and communities to becoming healthier through increased levels of physical activity and incorporating physical activity into health care.   “I am very supportive of the EIM initiative and proud to be a representative of the team that brought EIM-OC to our campus and receive the gold level recognition,” said Dr. Cheung Man Kuen, Director of the University Health Services.

43 universities around the world achieved this Gold Level recognition in 2018.  HKU is the first university in Hong Kong, as well as the joint-first in Asia, alongside Osaka Sangyo University in Japan, to be awarded this prestigious Gold Level Campus recognition. 

 “Under the EIM-OC initiative it is hoped that universities strive to make exercise a part of daily campus culture, and ultimately that physical activity habits and levels are considered and discussed, just as are other vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure or body temperature during health care consultations,” said Dr. Michael Tse, Assistant Director of the Centre for Sports & Exercise and Chairman of HKU EIM-OC.

Media enquiries:
Centre for Sports and Exercise:
Dr. Michael Tse (Tel: 2817 3835/ Email: matse@hku.hk)

Communication and Public Affairs Office:
Ms Trinni Choy (Tel: 2859 2606/ Email: pychoy@hku.hk)
Ms Rashida Suffiad (Tel: 2857 8555/ email: rsuffiad@hku.hk)

The winning team “Jogging Walking” finished with 7,519,319 steps in one month.

Vice President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global) Professor John Kao and Director of the University Health Services Dr. Cheung Man Kuen present prizes to Mr Christopher Mak, individual winner of the HKU Walking Challenge, who completed 1,579,437 steps in one month.