Preparations for the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are going very well at Sha Tin and Fanling, with traffic arrangements and a contingency plan for bad weather already in place.

Equestrian Events (Hong Kong) of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Co. CEO Lam Woon-kwong said this on a radio programme yesterday. He, however, assured the public that the events would not disrupt traffic in Sha Tin.

The company is chalking out detailed traffic plan for the 19,000-capacity Hong Kong Sports Institute in Sha Tin where most of the disciplines would be held.

Shuttle bus services could be introduced to pick up spectators to and from the venue and train station, Lam said. Other vehicles, too, will have a similar triangular arrangement.

The company will work in close cooperation with the Traffic Department and the Sha Tin District Council.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has been a great support for the company with its sponsorship and HK$50 billion to revamp the two competition venues.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) will bear the direct expenses, he said, with the Hong Kong government paying part of the indirect expenses such as those for examining horses.

The event is scheduled for the hottest and stormy season in Hong Kong but the company has devised some preventive measures to deal with the inclement weather.

The drainage system at the two competition venues in Sha Tin and Fanling have been reconstructed to drain out more than normal amount of water in case of incessant rainfall, he said. That will make it possible to resume the events in a couple of hours.

Also, three extra days have been set aside to finish the events in case bad weather delays the competition.

Sufficient preventive measures have to be taken to quarantine the horses, he said. And foreign horses won't be allowed to come into contact with the local ones to avoid cross-contamination.

Lam was not worried about quarantine measures because all the top veterinarians would be in Hong Kong during the competition.

Olympic-level horses usually come from Europe, North America or Australia, he said, and Hong Kong riders could rent them. Local riders need support to find the right horses as soon as possible because they need a long time to be trained properly.

Time and volunteers

The preferred time for the events was after 7 pm because that would be most convenient both for horses and the spectators.

Construction of Sha Tin and Fanling complexes is expected to be completed by August 2007, and all the 19,000 seats at the main venue will be installed before the summer of 2008, Lam said.

One athlete has already met the standards to compete at the Paralympics, but Lam was sure local riders would qualify for the equestrian events, too.

At another radio show, Lam said that the first phase of recruiting 100 core volunteers would start at end of this month. The volunteers would have to work for seven days during next year's trial competition. Some may be required to work for three weeks at a stretch during the 2008 Olympics.

The volunteers should be able to speak Cantonese, Putonghua and English, and the ability to speak other languages such as French and German would be a bonus.