I could not understand the fuzzy logic of Bernard Chan's column 'Going for gold' (August 5).
Mr Chan said Hong Kong owed the chance to host the Olympic equestrian events to Beijing and to the Olympic movement, and that we should be sure to do a professional job of hosting the sport. There was fault in his logic. It was Beijing which committed, in bidding for the 2008 Olympics, to host all the events successfully. Hong Kong did not have a role in the plan proposed to the Olympic Committee.
Before this, there was no consensus by the Hong Kong people to be part of the Games. Unfortunately, the mainland could not fulfil the quarantine requirements to host the Olympic equestrian events. Hong Kong actually did Beijing a favour in helping it out.
The capital stood to spend more to comply with Olympic requirements. In order to host equestrian events, the welfare of Hong Kong's elite athletes was sacrificed because their training institute had to be relocated and their training disturbed. That means they will be at a disadvantage in competition. If they can overcome these difficulties and win medals, they will show the world true Olympic sportsmanship. This means displaying integrity, fairness and honesty in competition, but it also involves defeating your opponent when you are the underdog.
What gave Hong Kong the edge over mainland cities in hosting the sport was that it had an internationally recognised veterinary and quarantine service left behind by Britain to host horse racing. Beijing owes not only Hong Kong and perhaps Britain, but our elite athletes in helping it to host the Olympics.
DAVID LAM, Mid-Levels