'We were informed by [Lee] that she has applied and hopefully, we will now have a team of four members,' HKEF president Simon Ip Sik-on said. 'Aram has not qualified yet, but again we are told he has applied.'

Ip said the HKEF was pleased both Lee and Gregory had made the decision, saying that he hoped the pair would be successful but adding they could not expedite the process.

'We cannot directly assist, but obviously they have made it [clear] to the Hong Kong government that the passports need to be processed quickly,' Ip said. 'Delays are to nobody's benefit. In our discussions we have said we need them to process the applications as quickly as possible.'

Gregory confirmed that he had applied for a passport.

'Yes, I have applied for a Hong Kong passport and am confident I can get it in time,' Gregory wrote in an e-mail from his training base in Germany. 'I am still trying to qualify and there is still hope. June will be a big month for me.'

Gregory and Lee (pictured), who is also training in Germany, have asked for Hong Kong passports because neither they nor American showjumpers Jennifer Chang and Charlotte Morse were successful in obtaining a special dispensation from the International Olympic Committee. As Gregory was born in Hong Kong and Lee has lived in Hong Kong for 13 years, both are eligible for passports. However, obtaining a Hong Kong passport requires naturalisation as China does not recognise dual citizenship.

If Gregory can qualify before the June 30 deadline and if both Gregory and Lee do get their passports by the start of the equestrian events, then this will be the last Olympic Games where such allowances are made. In rejecting Hong Kong's appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IOC warned: 'All athletes who take part in any qualification events and/or who might represent the NOC of Hong Kong, China, in the Olympic Games should be in possession of a valid HKSAR passport beforehand, thus ensuring that requests of this nature are no longer submitted to the IOC.'

HKEF secretary general Soenke Lauterbach said the rule did not apply to these Olympic Games, for which Lee qualified one horse in a special qualifier in Germany.

'The FEI [International Equestrian Federation] sees them as Hong Kong riders,' Lauterbach said. 'I don't see a problem.' At the meeting Ip also confirmed that the HKEF was part owner of Samantha Lam's Hong Kong Jockey Club sponsored horse. The HKEF took a HK$5.5 million interest-free loan from the Jockey Club to help purchase the mount. Plans for the three Jockey Club sponsored horses post-Olympics have not been decided.

'We have a lot of options and no option has been decided,' Lauterbach said when asked if the horses would be sold.