Many cities dream about it. Only a select few try their luck. And then only the best of the best win the right to host the Olympics, yet tiny Hong Kong has grabbed a piece of the action
The year 2005 may have been like any other for most countries but not for Hong Kong. A minnow on the world sports stage, Asia's 'World City' suddenly became one of the 20-plus Olympic Games cities around the world. The announcement that Hong Kong would host the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games marked one of the most important years in the history of sports development in the SAR.
While Hong Kong was celebrating a silver medal in the table tennis doubles at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, a series of discussions between the government and the organisers for the Beijing Games had started in the Greek capital to pave the way for moving the equestrian events to Hong Kong.
'You are used to staging major events and to attracting many visitors. I am confident the SAR will rise to the challenge,' said International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen expressed his gratitude for the trust and confidence shown by the IOC, International Equestrian Federation and the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Bocog). 'We pledge to do all we can to make the equestrian events a resounding success and to bring pride and credit to our home and our nation,' Tsang said. 'By doing so we can showcase to the world all that Hong Kong has to offer and provide a resounding echo to the 2008 Olympic slogan of 'one world, one dream'.'
Hong Kong Olympic supremo Timothy Fok Tsun-ting said: 'The equestrian events can only do us good and, we hope, lead to revitalising our sporting culture. Maybe this will finally help to put sports first. Look at Greece and Athens - first winning the European [soccer] Championship and then hosting the Olympics. What that did to the pride of that city was incredible.'
