Equestrian preparation: Chief Secretary Henry Tang visits  facilities in Sha Tin.

Chief Secretary Henry Tang says preparation work for the Olympic Village in Sha Tin is on schedule and he stresses the equestrian events to be held in Hong Kong will be of the highest standard.

Visiting the Hong Kong Olympic & Paralympic Village and core equestrian venue in Sha Tin today Mr Tang, who is also the Equestrian Committee President, inspected the progress of construction works at the competition venue and support facilities.

He and other committee members visited the Royal Park Hotel in Sha Tin which will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic Village for athletes and officials.

They were briefed on the services and facilities including service centres, retail services and cafe lounges, customised cuisines to cater for the needs of different cultures, and specially designed rooms for wheelchair users.

Impressive tour

"We are pleased to see that the preparation work of the Olympic Village is well on schedule. We are impressed by the detailed planning on the accommodation, catering and security aspects, as well as the specially designed rooms for Paralympic equestrian athletes using wheelchairs," Mr Tang said.

Committee members then visited the Olympic & Paralympic core equestrian venue at the Hong Kong Sports Institute to see construction of the 18,000-seat spectator stands and increased stable capacity to handle up to 225 horses.

They were briefed on the cooling facilities in the stables, veterinary services and the world's first air-conditioned equestrian indoor training arena introduced to help horses cope with Hong Kong's hot and humid August climate.

The committee will inspect different aspects of the preparatory work such as transport, security, crowd control, quarantine and volunteer training to ensure each aspect is ready for the Games.

Positive feedback

Mr Tang said a number of National Olympic Committee representatives have come to Hong Kong to see the venues and facilities. They were all satisfied with Hong Kong's world-class facilities and support arrangements.

About 160 representatives from 25 countries attended a workshop organised by the Federation Equestre International last month in Lausanne, Switzerland. They endorsed the preparatory work done by Hong Kong and felt the equestrian events will be outstanding.

"So far quite a number of leading overseas teams have qualified for the three equestrian events. We are confident the equestrian events to be held here will be of the highest standard," Mr Tang said.