STORY: Hong Kong researchers become guardians of health on sports field
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 21, 2025 and Feb. 9, 2025
DATELINE: Feb. 10, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:02
LOCATION: HONG KONG, China
CATEGORY: SPORTS/TECHNOLOGY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Hong Kong Marathon 2025
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): PATRICK WC LAU, Department chair of HKBU's Department of Sports, Physical Education & Health
3. various of the sports science research project
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): PATRICK WC LAU, Department chair of HKBU's Department of Sports, Physical Education & Health
5. various of the sports science research project
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): PATRICK WC LAU, Department chair of HKBU's Department of Sports, Physical Education & Health

STORYLINE:

The Hong Kong Marathon 2025 was held on Sunday.

Among this year's runners, about 200 of them from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) took part with a mission.
   
These runners not only showcased their skills on the track but also participated in an optimization test for a sports science research project.
   
A sensor to measure stride length was tied on the shoelace, a heart rate monitor was strapped to the chest, and a capsule to measure core temperature was swallowed 12 hours in advance. 

The HKBU runners made extra preparations for the race, each of them equipped with three sensor devices. They also wore smartwatches to record location, speed and transmit data.
   
In 2023, a research team from HKBU launched the "real-time human data metrics improving performance and safety of athletes" project, using world-leading technology to monitor athletes' physiological indicators in real-time and help to ensure their health and safety during competitions.
   
Through wearable sensors, runners' heart rates, blood pressure, sweat loss, and other physiological indicators, as well as the amplitude and distance of each step, can be measured. The data are sent via smartwatches to a back-end dashboard for researchers to analyze.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): PATRICK WC LAU, Department chair of HKBU's Department of Sports, Physical Education & Health
"Our vision is to ensure the safety of athletes and help them to improve their ability and performance."

In recent years, long-distance running has become increasingly popular in Hong Kong. Marathon is a high-intensity sport. In the past, there have been cases of runners collapsing or even dying after the race in Hong Kong marathons. Therefore, while the marathon craze continues to go up, concerns about the runners' safety have also been raised.
   
The HKBU team developed a system that operated similarly to the traffic light system.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): PATRICK WC LAU, Department chair of HKBU's Department of Sports, Physical Education & Health
"When all physiological indicators of an athlete are safe, the system gives them a 'green light.' A 'yellow light' means they have reached the threshold and need to be careful. A 'red light' means that it's very dangerous for them."

The team applied this system in the 2024 World Triathlon Cup Hong Kong and the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
   
The HKBU team expects to complete the optimization in more than a year and apply it more widely in different fields.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): PATRICK WC LAU, Department chair of HKBU's Department of Sports, Physical Education & Health
"Our team includes experts in exercise physiology, mechanics, and genetics. We are not just a Hong Kong team. We have invited sports science experts from Spain, Türkiye, Greece, and various cities in Europe to help us refine our project."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China.
(XHTV)