SHANGHAI – Fears about heat, humidity and safety have dogged the run-up to the Olympic equestrian programme in Hong Kong.
But New Zealander Mark Todd's return to the three-day event after eight years in retirement has electrified the sport while the long-running duel between multiple gold medallists Isabell Werth of Germany and Dutchwoman Anky van Grunsven will provide the focus for the dressage at the August Games.
The United States, Netherlands, France, Germany, New Zealand and Australia traditionally tussle for the medals in the three disciplines.
Hong Kong took on the Olympic equestrian event after Beijing was unable to guarantee a disease-free zone for horses on the mainland, but August in the former British colony brings high humidity, oppressive heat and often tropical storms.
The construction of facilities including mobile horse-cooling units and air-conditioned stables, and the successful hosting of a test event last year have largely won over sceptics. Only Switzerland's dressage team has pulled out.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club, which raked in $8 billion in racing turnover last year, has poured more than $150 million into building the new facilities and training venues, which include a 20,000-seat arena and 200-horse stables.
The Games in Athens in 2004, Atlanta in 1996 and Barcelona in 1992 were also oppressively hot on occasion and competition will be held in the early morning or early evening to reduce equine stress.
Officials will also want to avoid a repeat of the 2004 Games when four horses, including those of two gold medallists, tested positive for banned substances.
Ireland's Cian O'Connor was stripped of the individual show jumping gold because his horse tested positive for a sedative while tests on Ludger Beerbaum's horse showed up a banned steroid and the team gold was switched from Germany to the United States.
The three-day event, one of the most dangerous disciplines on the Olympic programme, has been hit by a spate of accidents including a fall which put U.S. Olympian Darren Chiacchia in hospital in March with serious injuries. The parents of a young American rider who died in a fall have also sued the U.S. equestrian federation this year.
Riders accept the danger of the sport but a lot of attention will be focused on the cross-country course, an untested creation of Briton Mike Etherington-Smith who also designed the course for the 2000 Games.
Hong Kong has three public riding schools and draws tens of thousands to two huge race tracks twice weekly .Owning and riding horses remain fringe sports drawing mainly affluent locals and expatriates.
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Equestrianism is the only Olympics sport involving animals and where women compete on equal terms with men.
DRESSAGE
Van Grunsven, who won the individual gold in 2000 and 2004, will once again ride against Isabell Werth of Germany, a four-times individual and team gold medallist. Japan's Hiroshi Hoketsu, who is in his late sixties, has also switched to dressage after competing in show jumping at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Germany have held the Olympic team title since winning at the 1984 Games. Werth, 39, won silver in 2000 – van Grunsven won silver in 1996. In a foretaste of what to expect in Hong Kong, the two went head to head at the FEI World Cup Dressage final in the Netherlands in March.
In a contest decided only on the final ride, Van Grunsven clinched victory over Werth.
EVENTING
Double gold medallist Todd, 52, succeeded in a surprise last-minute bid to qualify for the Olympics on Gandalf after eight years in retirement and his presence puts New Zealand, with Andrew Nicholson also competing in his sixth Games, firmly among the favourites. Britain's William Fox-Pitt, 2004 team gold medallist Nicolas Touzaint of France and Phillip Dutton, who won a gold medal for Australia in 1996 and now competes for the U.S., are also fancied. Eyes will be focused on teenager Alex Hua Tian, who is the first Chinese three-day eventer to compete in the Olympics.
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SHOWJUMPING
Ludger Beerbaum of Germany is likely to be involved in the fight for medals again as will his sister-in-law Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, the rankings leader who was born in Los Angeles and competes for Germany. John and Michael Whitaker, brothers who won a team silver at the Lo s Angeles Games in 1984, are regarded as Britain's best chance of a gold medal.
(Editing by Robert Woodward)
