A 59-year-old swimmer in a Hong Kong triathlon who went missing during an amber rainstorm has been found dead, prompting an expert to call for such events to be suspended when the relevant warning is in force, citing increasingly unpredictable extreme weather.
Police told the South China Morning Post that Fire Services Department officers found the man at around 3.17pm on Sunday. He was sent to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Tai Po, where he was pronounced dead at 3.33pm.
The force had earlier received a report at 7.57am that a male participant of the 2026 Summer Triathlon Challenge at Tai Mei Tuk Water Sports Centre in Tai Po had entered the water for the swimming leg but failed to resurface.
The deceased, Ma Chi-po, had been competing in the race which consisted of a 1,500m swim, a 30km cycling leg along Bride’s Pool Road, and an 8km run, the SCMP learned.
He was reportedly a retired marine police officer. An SCMP check found a constable with the same name had previously won a triathlon held by the Police Adventure Club in Tai Mei Tuk in 1999, according to police publication records.
The man was pronounced dead at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital. Photo: Warton LiThe SCMP learned that Ma entered the water at around 6.12am but did not return to shore.
