The one-year countdown to the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games celebration was held on August 8 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza in Tsim Sha Tsui.
With a year to go, all equestrian venues are operating, and a test event with international riders is underway this week.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has invested more than HK$800 million ($108 million CAD) in building the venues for the equestrian events and supporting facilities within just 18 months.
At Sha Tin, recognized worldwide as a leading centre of equine sports, the venues have been built in less than two years, adopting the most innovative ideas and making optimum use of existing sports facilities.
In the first phase of the project, construction of all competition and training arenas is complete. These include:
• A main competition arena
• A 5.7 kilometre cross-country course
• Twelve outdoor training arenas, sand and grass
• An air-conditioned indoor training arena (30 x 75 metres)
• A 800m cross country training course
• A 1200m bridle track
• A main stabling complex accommodating 216 horses
• A holding stable for cross country horses
• An equine clinic
After the Good Luck Beijing-HKSAR 10th Anniversary Cup, the club will continue with the next phase of the project. That will include:
• Installation of a media centre
• Installation of a broadcast compound
• Building of a spectator stand of about 18,000 seats
• Building of a stabling area for reserve horses
• Production of jumping fences
• Installation of tournament offices and hospitality facilities
• Upgrade of accommodation facilities for grooms
Environment friendly systems include:
• Low flow interceptor to collect horse manure washed into the drainage system
• Centralized chiller water plant - energy efficient system for air-conditioning the stables
• Stable lighting - energy efficient light fixtures in stable blocks
Recycled materials incude:
• Stable rubber flooring - manufactured from crumbs of recycled vehicle tyres
• Horse stall partitions - made from sustainably-grown bamboo
Wherever possible, the new competition venues have been integrated into existing sports facilities. It is hoped that this innovative, cost-effective and time-efficient concept will serve as an example for future Olympic equestrian events.
The training facilities at Beas River Country Club will be used by local equestrian athletes and the training facilities at Penfold Park will be turned into an interactive equine park open to the public.
The sand footage of the main arena and some training arenas will be used to upgrade the venues of the existing public riding schools.
The upgraded back-of-house facilities at the Hong Kong Sports Institute will be retained for use by local elite athletes.
