Honkers going bonkers over its Year of the Horse

The Olympics is so much more than the events themselves. Just think of the world's gaze, the mood of festivity and the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are gathering in one city within a few days.

Indeed, staging an Olympics is a huge test of the host's willingness to welcome the world and give its guests a great memory.

Hong Kong is no stranger to the challenge of staging an international event, albeit of a lesser magnitude. In Dec 2005, the city played host to the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference and one year later, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World.

Until now, though, the opportunity to co-host an Olympics had consistently escaped Hong Kong. The nearest the island city has ever got was the Rugby Sevens, if that bears any comparison.

"I hope this could be the sign of Hong Kong becoming an important event venue not only in the business arena, but also in the sports arena," says Henry Tang, Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong.

"Above all, the experience will be invaluable when Hong Kong stages the East Asian Games in 2009."

That should be another glorious moment for the city but right now, all the attention is focused on the coming Games and hosting the Equestrian events in the city with a splendid racing pedigree.

Everyone is bursting with enthusiasm to ensure athletes and spectators alike can sit back and enjoy the show without worrying about the peripheral stuff.

Transport

On June 28, President Hu Jintao rode a high-speed train to test Beijing's transport system for the coming Games. Above all, it illustrated how important this aspect of the preparation is. After all, what will visitors say if they get stuck in traffic for half an hour?

Hong Kong, even without the daunting challenges faced by Beijing - the city has a reputation for its highly efficient public transport system - has placed great emphasis on ensuring that reach their destinations at the right time.

There will be about 260 private cars/limousines and 65 coaches for members of the International Olympic Committee, International Equestrian Federation, athletes, officials and media. Spectators, meanwhile, will enjoy a free shuttle bus service between the venues and designated railway stations.

Passenger flows will be monitored and if necessary, the service will run for longer and more trains will be laid on.

Cyclists and pedestrians haven't been forgotten, either. The Transport Department has provided additional bicycle parking spaces and a designated walking route, while a "Rehabus" will pick up wheelchair users at their hotels/homes and take them to the venues.

Food safety

Do you still remember "breakfast before exam" - the morning when you were about to take a school examination and whatever you ate made your stomach flip? It was nervousness of course.

But ask an Olympic athlete: There's no meal more important than the one before battle. And for any host city of the Olympics, one of the top priorities is to make sure all the athletes and team members eat well.

Much easier said than done, given the diversity of countries and their different diets.

There will be three designated hotels for athletes, officials and media to dine. This is in addition to two designated caterers at competition venues where 20 food/drink outlets will provide for 20,000 people.

An eight-member Food Safety Advisory Team has been established to oversee the process.

"We have implemented strict import controls and will routinely inspect food premises," says Dr Ng Chi-Cheung, Principal Medical Officer (Risk Management) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

His department already analyzes 65,000 food samples a year but the measures have been greatly tightened for the Games. High-risk food, including seafood that must be eaten raw, has been struck off Games menus.

All food provided by hotels and caterers can be traced to their sources and preliminary tests, which take no more than 30 minutes to analyze, will be performed on food samples.

Security

This may be the most important yet the least visible aspects of the Olympic preparation.

Wong Chi-Hung, Commandant (Police Tactical Unit) of Hong Kong Police Force, says a key aspect of providing security for such high-profile, high-risk international events like the Olympics is not to be disruptive.

"There will be no gun-bearing security personnel in sight," he says. "We want people to be fully immersed in the festive atmosphere."

Nonetheless, the Hong Kong Police Force sent out a thick memo to media organizations advising the public of what will be expected and it reads like a meticulous contingency plan.

At its core is the capacity of all security personnel to react super-quickly to any emergency situation, including a terrorist attack.

According to Chief Superintendent Wong, this requires information to be constantly updated. "Our decision-making can only be based on the information we are able to gather. Right now, the police are in close contact with law enforcement teams both on the mainland and in foreign countries," he says. "And of course we are relying heavily on our local communities."

The police are also working with the Hong Kong Airport and Customs to further clamp down on illegal immigration, especially those from Africa and South Asia, he says.

Special training has been given by the Police Force to the security personnel hired by the event organizer, the Equestrian Company, who will in turn be in charge of security inside the venues. The police will largely be responsible for security outside and will oversee the general security of the event.

A no-fly zone will be in place above competition venues and a section of the Shing Mun River will be closed off by floating railings.

During the event, a maximum 4,000 police officers will be deployed throughout Hong Kong. Since the beginning of this year there have been a series of drills to test Hong Kong's preparedness to host the Games, including an exercise in May in which 30 government departments and organizations participated.

Nothing can be taken for granted but the island is supremely confident its Games adventure will be a success. The Chief Secretary for Administration recalled May 2, the day the Olympic torch came to Hong Kong. "People were all wearing red and the island was flooded by this red ocean," says Tang. "Every time I think of the picture, I know we'll make it."

(China Daily 07/07/2008 page8)