The athlete went missing off the coast of Tai Mei Tuk during the race’s opening leg.
Rescue teams later located him unconscious in the water and rushed him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In the wake of the tragedy, legislators voiced concerns on an RTHK radio programme about what they see as gaps in monitoring and the inherent dangers of open-water competitions.
They are urging organisers to implement stricter safety measures, particularly as Hong Kong faces increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
Lawmaker Vincent Cheng said that organisers already provide extensive support, with rescue boats positioned at regular intervals throughout the course.
However, he suggested that real-time GPS tracking for athletes could add a critical layer of security.
“In many races, GPS records and checkpoints an athlete’s finishing time; could there be a system that notifies the organisers if a participant hasn’t returned to the finish line within 45 minutes or a certain time? That might be worth exploring in the future,” he said.
Cheng noted that in the past, red or black rainstorm warnings would automatically cancel events, while amber alerts occupied a “marginal” zone, leaving decisions to the race director’s on-site judgement.
While he spoke with fellow competitors who described the waters as calm and suitable for racing, Cheng believes Hong Kong should adopt a more cautious stance as extreme weather becomes more frequent.
He also pointed out that other countries factor regional storm patterns into their safety protocols — a practice Hong Kong could study and emulate.
Fellow lawmaker Adrian Ho raised additional concerns about the unpredictable nature of open-water environments.
Athletes’ physical conditions — whether from accidents, cramps, or other medical issues — combined with shifting weather, can rapidly alter the state of the water.
Rain, for instance, can lower temperatures and affect how the body responds, potentially impacting even seasoned competitors.
“The rescue window is actually relatively small. That is, if you don’t spot an accident and rescue the swimmer immediately, and they sink, there is a chance you might not find him,” he said.
“First, it is because you don’t even know it happened, and second, because you won’t find him until after the race ends.”
Ho called for real-time tracking similar to systems used in Hong Kong’s road traffic monitoring, which could instantly alert lifeguards if a swimmer stops moving.
He also floated the possibility of pairing this with artificial intelligence and underwater cameras to monitor each athlete continuously, sending their exact location to nearby rescuers in an emergency.
