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It's all about enduring the competition

By Alexis Hooi (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-19 07:56

I took part in one of the toughest races of my life over the weekend.

Over a stretch of more than eight hours in the blazing-hot temperatures of the Xilin Gol league's grassland in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, I was among 40 competitors invited to what was being touted as the country's first international horse riding endurance competition.

It was more than a race to the finish. Participants were required to pace themselves and their horses - assigned through luck of the draw - at specific stages along the 80-km course. Checkpoints, veterinary posts and watering stations were set up to ensure the health of the horses and a strict adherence to rules.

The complicated procedures demanded tip-top organization and posed a challenge in itself to the event's organizers, who made it clear from the start that this was just an initial step toward the international standards of an established sports event.

For an amateur rider like myself, completing the race would be a major achievement - let alone keeping up with the experienced riders who made up most of the competition.

About one-quarter of these competitors were foreigners who came from at least seven countries and regions. Used to the exacting requirements of international races, a number of foreign competitors were also quick to comment on the shortcomings of the event.

Timings of schedules were not met. Explanations of rules and regulations were unclear. Courses were not marked appropriately and consistently, while procedures were not carried out to the letter by the organizers and their otherwise impressive army of volunteers. Some of the horses, which were generously provided by locals, were unstable and unsuited for endurance races of this stature.

All these agitated critics seemed to have forgotten this is the country that hosted one of the most successful Olympics just a year ago.

The complaints also echo those by many visitors and new residents of fast-developing China who are constantly irked by a nascent way of doing things.

All too often, such reactions come without being tempered by the tolerance and patience needed in a different environment.

Indeed, it is still amazing to come across a visitor from abroad throwing a tantrum at not getting what he or she ordered in a Chinese restaurant in one of the country's cosmopolitan, coastal cities, only because there is a difference in language or a similar problem with communication.

Ho Nai Yue, president of the Asian Equestrian Federation, was at the horse riding endurance event during the weekend in part to observe how it was being managed.

Ho spoke of the shortfalls in managing the race but more importantly was suitably impressed by the efforts made by the Chinese organizers. "Sure, there are areas for improvement. But they are definitely meeting FEI (International Equestrian Federation) standards. They are getting there," he said.

To be sure, participants were also full of praise for the event and its organizers at the end of the race. There was genuine appreciation for the generous hospitality and the determination to run a successful show.

After all, this was also a group of people brought together by a common love of a sport and the promise of its development at home and abroad.

I myself failed to complete the endurance race on time, but it still illustrated the importance of a transformative journey and marked the start of better things to come.

E-mail: alexishooi@chinadaily.com.cn