Life goes on for quartet
The quartet of equestrian riders who had their Games dreams shattered last week on eligibility grounds appear determined to continue with their careers, although somewhat unsure of their next move.
Aram Gregory, Jennifer Lee Ming-hua and Charlotte Morse were all training and competing in Europe - Jennifer Chang Ren-hui has been training in Hong Kong - when they were informed of the news late last week that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had ruled out their participation because they did not possess Hong Kong passports.
'I'm obviously very disappointed, but we've done everything we could have to try to get to the Olympics,' Morse said. 'But at the end of the day, some things are just not meant to happen.'
Morse said she would continue to train and compete in Europe.
'Despite not being eligible for the Olympics, I still feel that I've accomplished a huge amount,' Morse said.
Of the four riders, Morse was the only one to have qualified for the Olympics and was on leave from Yale this semester in a bid to qualify her other horse and prepare for the Olympics.
Chang said she had been prepared for the IOC's decision and had tailored her preparations so that if she was ineligible or could not qualify for the Olympics, she could still work towards the Southeast Asian League World Cup qualifiers which begin in June in Malaysia.
Though she was disappointed with the IOC's decision, she also said she understood this ruling did not mean she was barred from representing Hong Kong at other international events.
'It was confirmed to me that this decision is exclusively for the 2008 Olympic Games and has no bearing on representing Hong Kong at the Asian Games or the FEI World Cup qualifiers or finals,' Chang said.
The Hong Kong Equestrian Federation (HKEF) said yesterday it would discuss 'future options' with the riders, although neither the HKEF nor any of the four riders said whether they would attempt to appeal the IOC decision.
'We feel terribly sorry for our riders, whose dream of representing Hong Kong, which they consider as their hometown, seems to have been destroyed,' the HKEF said.
