A BIRD’S-EYE view of the equestrian venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. --PHOTO BY THE HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB

THIS August, Hong Kong will be more than just a shopping destination. It will also be a mecca for sports enthusiasts as the city plays host to the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. Recently, the Hong Kong Tourism Board hosted the Philippine media on a tour of the site where Olympic glory will be established. The Hong Kong Jockey Club—one of the largest racing organizations in the world—offered to provide the venues and facilities for the said equestrian events. It has invested over HK$1.2 billion ($150 million) on the venues, including the main competition arena with a seating capacity of 18,000.

The Olympic equestrian events comprise three disciplines: dressage, jumping and eventing (also known as the Three-Day Event). For the 2008 Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong, the dressage and jumping competitions will take place in the especially built main competition arena at the Hong Kong Sports Institute in Sha Tin. The cross-country competition (an element of eventing) will take place at Hong Kong Golf Club and the adjacent Beas River Country Club in Sheung Shui.

First-class facilities

THERE are 13 training arenas in total, including an air-conditioned indoor arena—a first in Olympic history. It seems that the Club saw to the littlest of details to ensure world-class facilities for the 200 horses coming for the event.

A special mixture of fine quarry sand, imported geotextiles and fibers were used in the arenas, to protect the horses’ legs when landing and turning. The weather will also not be an issue with a drainage rate of 100mm per hour to provide the horses with best possible footing and avoid injuries.

The Club also prides itself with the air-conditioned indoor arena. “This is the old badminton hall. So underneath all this sand, there are wooden floors,” explained Grania Willis, public affairs consultant of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Equestrian Events. “There is very different sand in here. The sands in the other arenas have to be watered. Here, we have waxed sand. It’s got wax coating on it, so it doesn’t have to be watered because, obviously, with the wooden badminton floors underneath, we don’t want to be watering the sand.”

Willis clarified that the indoor arena will be used solely for training purposes, and to acclimatize the overseas horses when they first arrive in Hong Kong. “There will be a strict timetable [in using the indoor arena]. Each team will be given a certain amount of time when they’ll be allowed to ride in here. They have to book their time,” she added.

The horses will also be in for a treat with “six-star” accommodations that will benefit them. From newly built stables with 24-hour centralized air-conditioning, to automatic drinkers in each stall and rolling boxes for relaxation, the stable complex is basically a hotel for our equine friends. Olympic stable manager Tony Shea said in jest, “[The stables are] better than my own flat.” The Hong Kong Jockey Club also provides the first on-site testing laboratory for Olympic equine samples. Internationally accredited and with a competent staff of over 40 people, the Racing Laboratory will test the blood and urine samples of the Olympic horses for prohibited substances.

“We have 38 years of experience of analyzing racehorses and equestrian horses for traces of drugs,” said Dr. Terence Wan, head of the Racing Laboratory. “I think we can say that our lab is second to none in terms of facilities, expertise and also our track record,” he said of the Fédération Équestre Internationale sole reference laboratory in Asia. 

Green Olympics

AS stellar as these facilities are the efforts of Hong Kong to adopt eco-friendly measures in keeping with the green theme of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The construction of the stables included engineered wood made from sustainable bamboo. Around 90 percent of the trees at the Hong Kong Sports Institute were retained in their original positions. The others were transported to different areas of the site. The use of the fine quarry sand and geotextiles and fibers brings no harm to the environment.

The air-conditioning and lighting systems of the stable complex also offer up to 30 percent of energy savings compared with conventional installations.

During the Olympic equestrian events in August, the stable waste from the Olympic venues will be recycled into eco-friendly fertilizer using earthworms and in-vessel composting methods. This will ultimately help slow down the overloading of Hong Kong landfills.

The Penfold Park, apart from being a training venue for the Olympic equestrian athletes, is also a habitat for various wild birds. The construction of the venues was planned so as not to disturb the egret habitat inside the park during the breeding season.

With the construction of the equestrian venues completed in just under two years—four years shorter than the traditional Olympic schedule—it is clear that Hong Kong is more than ready to be a cohost of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. With already more than 100, 000 tickets sold in Hong Kong alone, spectators can be assured that the horses won’t be the only ones in for a good time. 

Hong Kong Beyond Shopping

THIS August, Hong Kong will be more than just a shopping destination. It will also be a mecca for sports enthusiasts as the city plays host to the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. Recently, the Hong Kong Tourism Board hosted the Philippine media on a tour of the site where Olympic glory will be established.

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