“Of course, we are happy with the quota expansion,” Kwan said. “We hope this can help maintain the Hong Kong Marathon’s image as the best race in the region.”

Kwan said they had been pushing to expand the number of runners to 50,000, but were happy to settle for 37,000.

“Considering there is a second marathon on the cards for October 29, we hope to achieve the 50,000 mark then, or even 74,000 like it was before Covid-19,” he said.

For runners like Eric Wong Kai-lok, the men’s overall marathon winner from last year, the expanded quota is a further sign that major sporting events are back.

“I am starting to get the feeling things are slowly getting back to normal,” Wong said.

“The Hong Kong Marathon is one of the biggest events for runners like us, but it is also a carnival for the novice runners or those who are interested in starting running.”

The 27-year-old recalled running the 10km race in 2018 – one of the few years the Hong Kong Marathon was at its peak capacity of 74,000 participants – and said he was looking forward to competing at a similar scale again.

“Athletes can compete overseas, but the Hong Kong Marathon is the biggest event of the year for the general runners, so the more participants the better,” he said.

“I hope we can return to, or even surpass the pre-pandemic numbers in our next marathon because it is important to promote Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events.”

Virginia Lo Ying-chiu, who won the women’s 10km event in 2021, said the expanded quota would be a lift to all runners taking part in the race.

“With more runners, the atmosphere will certainly be better, and it can help runners perform better,” the 25-year-old said. Lo added that she will have some 40 students from her running class joining February’s race.

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The annual showpiece was originally scheduled for November 20 this year with a targeted 37,000 entries, but talks between the government and the HKAAA broke down and the event was called off.

Organisers had previously announced the second round of registrations for February 12 had been postponed to December 12 because of an “overwhelming” number – more than 50,000 – of entries received during the first round.

The increased quota will be allocated to registrants on the waiting list who will receive a notification email as early as Monday afternoon. Successful registrants will then be required to settle payment on or before December 16 to confirm their entry.

The rebound in numbers comes as Hong Kong prepares to host a series of major sporting events including this month’s Hong Kong International Tennis Challenge, which runs from December 23 to 25, plus the Hong Kong Sevens in April and Cricket Hong Kong’s women’s T20 FairBreak tournament.

“The increase in participant numbers for the Hong Kong Marathon is a great sign for the continued revival of mass sports events in Hong Kong,” Robbie McRobbie, chief executive of the Hong Kong Rugby Union, said.

“It bodes well for increasing the numbers of participating teams and fans for the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at the end of March, too.”

The Sevens made a successful return in November to great fanfare with more than 20,000 fans per day watching at Hong Kong Stadium.

The three-day event kick-started the revival of Hong Kong’s sporting calendar after the snooker Masters in November hosted a record crowd of more than 8,500 spectators for its final at the Coliseum.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, the city’s leader who watched the final day of Sevens action in So Kon Po and awarded the trophies to the winners, had highlighted the need for the return of major “M” Mark sporting events in his policy address in October.