Hong Kong's annual marathon competition has become the biggest sports event in Hong Kong.

According to past experience, it is common for amateur athletes to sustain injuries during the annual competition. Many participants require attention from the Auxiliary Medical Service with most of them suffering from cramp or minor injuries. Will an injured participant be covered under personal accident insurances if he/she was hurt or died during the marathon competition? Would there be any difference between professionals and amateurs when it comes to insurance coverage?

Insurance coverage of professional athletes differs from that of amateur athletes. Normally, insurance companies will not accept any personal accident insurance application from a professional athlete. Professional athletes can apply for a tailored personal accident insurance plan through their sports organisations. But, for amateur athletes, injuries and death in the marathon would be covered under their standard insurance policy unless it was caused by a previously known ailment.

Personal Accident Insurance covers accidental death and permanent disability. Such insurance products even cover accidental medication costs and loss of work subsidies due to accident. It should be highlighted that injuries or deaths caused by sickness are not included under personal accident insurance coverage. In this case, if an athlete had a heart attack and died in the marathon caused by a pre-existing illness, his/her estate would not be eligible for any compensation.

Not all sports or competitions are covered by personal accident insurance coverage. In fact, injuries incurred from only two speed-related sports activities competitions would be covered under a personal accident policy.

(1) Swimming; (2) Foot racing (i.e.: power walking, running, hiking…etc). Any other speed-related competition and related preparation or practising are excluded from insurance coverage. Consult your insurance company for further information if you are planning to participate in any sports competitions.

Above all, everyone should be cautious when running a marathon. If you are not feeling well before or during the competition, a runner is advised to consider withdrawing from the race.

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