Businessman defaults and horse revolts as Sha Tin leg goes awry

The torch relay may have been a once-in-a-lifetime event, but a businessman - and a horse - missed it. The businessman was away on business; the horse was over-excited, the Jockey Club said, though a witness said it had taken fright at the flame.

Ethan Timothy Sy, chairman and chief executive officer of listed mobile-phone distributor Global Tech, was supposed to run the 41st leg of the relay in Sha Tin but was unable to return in time to take his place as one of the 120 torch-bearers.

Mr Sy could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The government announced his absence minutes after the relay began at the Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui at 10.30am, saying that he had suffered a flight delay. Bjork Cheng Yuk-han, a fencer who was supposed to pass the torch to him, ran Mr Sy's leg of the relay along Sha Tin Wai Road in addition to his own.

A spokesman for Mr Sy said he was out of town handling some 'urgent matters', but would not reveal where he was. 'All I can say now is that he is not in Hong Kong. As to where he is now and when he left the city, I am not so clear.'

A spokesman for the Hong Kong torch relay organising committee said Mr Sy had told it on Thursday that he could not get back to the city in time to take part, but it did not know where Mr Sy was.

Torch-bearers are allowed to keep a souvenir torch. A spokesman for the organising committee said it would discuss with the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games whether Mr Sy would be allowed to have a torch.