Delegates of the Hong Kong Equestrian Company made a comprehensive and very informative report on the progress made in the preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games. The presentation, which was followed by a Question and Answer session, covered key areas such as venues construction, accommodation, accreditation and test event. Work is progressing according to plan and Hong Kong will undoubtedly provide excellent facilities for very successful 2008 Olympic events.
Other matters of interest are:
FEI 2008 OLYMPIC REGULATIONS
The above mentioned document includes a summary of the specific competition regulations for the three Olympic disciplines as well as all the specific rules in regards to qualification of nations, riders/horses, substitutions, appointment which applies only for Olympic Games. The document is subject to approval by the General Assembly and will be published on the www.horsesport.org shortly afterwards.
OLYMPIC EQUESTRIAN COMPETITION SCHEDULE
The competition timetable, agreed with the IOC and BOCOG, is available on FEI website. Competitions will be held either early in the morning – 6h30 – or in the evening under floodlights to avoid the intense daytime heat.
MEDIA ACCREDITATIONS
An agreement between the IOC and the FEI was made allowing the FEI to be involved in the attribution of the Specialised Press/Photographers Accreditation for the 2008 Olympic Games. The procedure will be finalised in May 2007; full details will be sent out in due course.
TEST EVENT, 11 – 13 August 2025
The test event will be organised as a CCI2*. Preparations are up to schedule. Several NFs are expected to send horses.
The Paralympic Test event due to take place at the same time as the Eventing was cancelled, which is unfortunate as this would have been the ideal opportunity to test the infrastructure and ensure that all facilities were compatible with the requirements for disabled athletes.
CLIMATE STUDY
A meeting of the FEI Welfare Sub-Committee was organised in March, to primarily focus on preparations for a Heat and Humidity Information Event to be held in 2008 prior to the Olympic Games. Invitations will be sent to all NFs.
Heat and Humidity Data gathering: It is FEI’s duty to be fully proactive in providing the necessary information on heat and humidity management to ensure that competitors were well informed and in a position to prepare their horses optimally for the challenging climatic conditions that they will face in Hong Kong.
The 2007 Test Event will provide invaluable information to supplement existing knowledge on competing under conditions of high heat and humidity. Sharing of information among the various NFs and the FEI was considered of the utmost importance.
The key issues were to ensure that horses competing were in the possible best state to travel, were protected and assisted in their preparation to compete, that they competed safely in the Games, and returned home securely and unharmed.
The ultimate aim was to use the science to ensure that the care and welfare of the participating horses were respected at all times in accordance with the FEI Code of Conduct.
LEGACY
The agreement signed by between the FEI and BOCOG and countersigned by the IOC at the time of the decision to transfer equestrian sport to Hong Kong required that a post-Games Legacy for Equestrian Sports was required in mainland China.
It has been confirmed that an equestrian centre is to be established in the Guangdong Province 60 km away from Hong Kong. Its role will be to hold international, continental and national Jumping and Dressage events and serve as a national training centre. Establish A quarantine zone for importing and exporting horses is to be established. The 2010 Asian Games will be held there in the city of Guangzhou, formerly known as Canton.
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