2008 olympic equestrian events

Olympic equestrian facilities spur top marks among reviewers

Hong Kong Chief Secretary Henry Tang (second from right) and members of the Equestrian Committee visited the Olympic and Paralympic core equestrian venue at the Hong Kong Sports Institute. They were briefed by the Head of Racing Operations and Equestrian of the Hong Kong Jockey Club John Ridley (first from right) on the latest progress of the work.

Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang and members of the Equestrian Committee on March 4 toured the Hong Kong Olympic and Paralympic Village and core equestrian venue in Sha Tin, where they viewed the  facilities under construction for the Hong Kong equestrian events.

The Royal Park Hotel in Sha Tin will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic Village for athletes and officials of participating teams.

Representatives of the Equestrian Company gave a briefing on the services and facilities, which include service centers, retail services and cafe lounges, customized cuisines to cater to the needs of different cultures and specially designed rooms for wheelchair users.

Mr. Tang, who is also president of the Equestrian Committee (Hong Kong) of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), was pleased to see the preparations are on schedule. 

“We are impressed by the detailed planning on the accommodation, catering and security aspects, as well as the specially designed rooms for Paralympic equestrian athletes using wheelchairs,” he said.

Committee members also visited the Olympic and Paralympic core equestrian venue at the Hong Kong Sports Institute. They were briefed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Head of Racing Operations and Equestrian John Ridley on the facility’s progress.

Construction is in full swing on the 18,000-seat spectator stands and on increasing stable capacity for up to 225 horses. The projects are expected to be completed in approximately three months.

Members were briefed on the cooling facilities in the stables, the veterinary service and the world’s first air-conditioned equestrian indoor training arena. The Equestrian Company and the Hong Kong Jockey Club designed the arena to help horses adapt to Hong Kong’s hot and humid August weather.

“With five months to go before the Olympic equestrian events, the Equestrian Committee will conduct regular inspections on different aspects of our preparatory work such as transport, security, crowd control, quarantine and volunteer training to ensure that each and every aspect is geared up and ready for the Games,” said Mr. Tang.

He said representatives from a number of National Olympic Committees have come to Hong Kong to see the competition venues and related facilities. They are all very satisfied with the preparations, he noted.

Approximately 160 representatives from 25 countries attended a February workshop organized by the Federation Equestre International (FEI) in Lausanne, Switzerland. The FEI and experts there gave a thumbs-up to Hong Kong’s preparatory work and expect the Olympic equestrian events to be outstanding.

“So far, quite a number of leading overseas teams have qualified for the three equestrian events,” Mr. Tang said. “We are confident that the equestrian events to be held here will be of the highest standard.”