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The Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Venue (Sha Tin), New Territories, has been completed and handed over to the Equestrian Company. The Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Venue (Beas River), where the cross-country section of the Eventing competition will be held on 11 August, will be handed over to the Equestrian Company next month.
The Equestrian Company staff began working at the main venue in Sha Tin last week (May 25-31) on such matters as decorations and familiarizing themselves with the Olympic Equestrian Event process. When the Olympic horses arrived in late July, the facilities will be put under Olympic-caliber security.
Officiating at the hand-over ceremony on Monday (May 26) afternoon, Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang said, “If there is an Olympic event for equestrian event hosts, I believe Hong Kong will win a medal hands down.”
The Olympic Equestrian Event main venue, built on the training ground of the Sha Tin Race Course with HK$1.2 billion contributed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, began construction in November 2006 and can hold 18,000 spectators at a time.
At the hand-over ceremony held at the Sha Tin venue on Monday, Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges presented a huge mock key to Equestrian Company CEO Lam Woon-kwong, symbolizing the facility is now officially in the hands of the Olympic Equestrian Event organizers.
Lam said the Equestrian company staff will set up shop at the Sha Tin venue this week and start working on decorations to add some feel of competition there. They will also familiarize themselves with all the details of the Olympic Equestrian Event process and carry out several exercises to test their readiness for the historic event and coordination among various departments, he added.
This month the staff will hold a series of dry runs to simulate athletes and their rides entering the competition grounds, traffic control and response to adverse weather conditions. Designed with Hong Kong's August weather characteristics in mind, the facilities can also cope with adverse weather conditions, Lam said. ■春生 資深翻譯員
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