Live from the Equestrian Olympics : Hong Kong

Farewell, Hong Kong

Jennifer — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:21:00 GMT

I'm writing this from my own desk chair, looking at the comfortingly familiar surroundings of my home office. Yes, I'm finally home from the 2008 Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong.

The journey encompassed a 15-hour departure-flight delay due to Typhoon Nuri -- Hong Kong's worst in nearly a decade, and scoring a direct hit on the city -- a long flight that crossed the international date line, thereby rendering me incapable of knowing what day it was or how long I'd been in the air; the inevitable missed connection; some nail-biting moments at the U.S. Airways gate during which I wasn't sure whether I'd get on the next available flight; and several more cramped hours in the air before a mid-evening landing on the East Coast. It was, no exaggeration, a long day's journey into night.

I've been logging 10+ hours of sleep a night since I've been home, and probably will continue to do so for a few more days until I've erased the sleep deficit. But I wanted to write one last blog entry while the sights, smells, and events of this incredible experience are still fresh.

Attending an Olympic Games is an extraordinary immersion in international culture, not only of the host nation but also of the many participating countries. You'll meet people from all over the world and get the chance to compare notes, to learn a bit about one another's world views, and to gain new perspectives on how you and your own nation are regarded by others, and why. By traveling halfway around the world, I got to know myself better. Curious but true. As a fan of equestrian sport, attending an Olympics is a chance to see the very best that each country has to offer.

An Olympic Games is not just another international competition, and the participants know it. Competing not just for oneself but as a representative of one's country adds an entirely new dimension and significance, and it shows. Watching with a critical eye, one soon perceives that not all nations field the same caliber of athlete. Riders from the top countries generally exhibit an attention to detail and a precision that are lacking in many from nations that tend not to make the leader boards. And although there is no denying the fact that competing at the Olympic level takes money, money alone can't buy medals. Just ask the jumper riders from Saudi Arabia, to name just one example. Most of all, watching the equestrian competition in Hong Kong, I had a sense of continued amazement that horses do for us all of what they do.

At this level of competition, horses are asked to remain relaxed, confident, focused, and to perform at their athletic peak in the middle of the night while handling grueling journeys, strange surroundings, noisy and restless crowds, marching bands, gigantic jumbotron images, elaborate decorations, TV cameras, and an "electric" atmosphere that no garden-variety horse show can equal. Let me tell you, I'm astonished that those horses went into that arena at all, much less performed at the levels they did. The horses showed a willingness and a generosity of spirit that we as riders can only strive to emulate. In the end, when all the fanfare is stripped away, it's still all about the wonderful partnership that humans can have with horses. To see some partnerships crescendo in the glare of the Olympic spotlight is not a memory that will soon fade.

I feel privileged to have been in attendance. If you get the opportunity to attend an Olympic Games, I'd urge you to go. It'll be an experience you will never forget.

The Culture Club

Jennifer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:18:00 GMT

The morning's roundup of sights and observations at and around the 2008 Olympic equestrian events: The transport system.

Inter-venue shuttle buses are segregated by accreditation type, meaning that thou shalt not share a ride with an athlete or a venue worker. Environmentalists would shed more than one tear at seeing full-size motorcoaches idling empty, doors open and A/C blasting, waiting for passengers while would-be riders stand sweating, waiting for their buses -- both going to the same place. Begging, cajoling, and arguing with the security people have no effect.

The Dutch party room. A lounge in one of the official host hotels has been commandeered by the Dutch team, which has rented the space for the duration of the Games. Orange-accented posters of Dutch riders decorate the walls, thereby adding even more lurid contrast to the already over-the-top room, which is decorated with pink and purple upholstered chairs and a truly horrid carpet with hot pink and purple circles and swirls.

Out front is a large Heineken display, and I wonder what it looks like with a few (or more) beers under one's belt. Judging by the fact that the Dutch are nowhere to be found most mornings, my guess is that the effect can be pretty overwhelming. And I'm glad I'm on the twelfth floor of the hotel because the disco music kept several other journalists awake who were situated on lower floors.

When the crowds are away, the riders will play. The victorious German dressage team and its supporters gathered on the apron outside the main arena Thursday night around midnight, after the medals ceremony. There was Isabell Werth, walking over to the party with an official, still in her sweaty white breeches and show shirt. Walk inside the main building and there were the judges, grabbing a snack in the cafeteria at 12:45 a.m. The party went on until about 3:00 a.m., I'm told.

Want to cross the street? Take the "subway." Barriers prevent pedestrians in Hong Kong from crossing at street level (except for when this jogger vaulted a railing and crossed, half-expecting the police to descend). Instead, you're supposed to descend a flight of stairs (or a ramp, for cyclists) and pass through a tunnel under the street (the "subway"), coming up at the other end. The system is handy because you don't have to worry about traffic lights, but it can be tricky if you are directionally challenged, as I am. More than once I have emerged from a subway only to find myself proceeding in the opposite direction from the one I intended, thanks in part to the stairways that double back on themselves.

Interesting local cuisine. I'm reminded of the line by the comedian (I can't remember who it was) who said something along the lines of, "In China, they don't call it Chinese food; they just call it food." The nearby mega-shopping mall, New Town Plaza, has a Starbucks and a Shakey's Pizza; but the streetside establishments are just...food, many with outside floor-to-ceiling tanks housing all manner of sea creatures. Some of the dishes are relatively familiar to one who's visited lots of Chinese restaurants in the U.S., but others are quite a bit more exotic.

A daily special, spotted yesterday on a blackboard: fried spaghetti with ox tongue and tomato. Um, I think I'll pass. Ditto for the carp heads and the pigs' intestines. But my fried prawns in spicy salt were delicious and clear-your-sinuses spicy, served in heaps of panko crumbs dotted with little slices of red peppers. Shoppers' paradise. That mega-mall I mentioned? When I visited, it was thronged with visitors, some of whom lined the first-floor railing watching Olympic sports on a giant screen in the mall's huge open atrium. Equal numbers were dining in the many eateries, which range from the aforementioned Starbucks to every Asian specialty.

And then it was on to six (or was it seven?) floors of shopping, plus a movie theater. Each floor has a theme: electronics, sporting goods and apparel, cosmetics, etc. And each is staffed by young female customer-service guides attired in white newsboys' caps, white knickers, and white knee-high go-go boots.

The glasses. I don't know if contact lenses are popular here among the vision-impaired, but many young Chinese people sport glasses. The current fashion must be thick, black, narrow, rectangular "geek look" frames, for that's all I see on both guys and girls, except for a few girls who choose white frames instead of black. Not a flattering look in either color.

The International Language

Jennifer — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:40:00 GMT

Here at the 2008 Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong, it's not love; it's commerce -- or, more accurately, bartering.

Pin trading, long a popular Olympic pastime, is alive and well here. People stud their credential-card lanyards with pins, thereby becoming walking bazaars of sorts. Would-be traders eye the merchandise and offer up pins as prospective swaps. You don't need to speak the language to conduct a transaction. Some of the most enthusiastic pin traders here are the young Chinese women who, as part of the massive BOCOG work force, staff the shuttle-bus stops, information desks, and security checkpoints.

Yesterday, on my way out from the press center, I was approached by a checkpoint worker who gestured enthusiastically at my lanyard bling and held up a square pin bearing the Olympic rings, a Union Jack-styled logo, and the words "Team GB" (Great Britain). She chattered excitedly in Chinese, and I couldn't understand a word of it, but the result was that I got on the shuttle bus bearing a brand-new Team GB pin. And somewhere in China, someone is treasuring her new Dressage at Devon (Pennsylvania) pin.

The scenario was repeated just moments later, at the shuttle-bus stop. This time the exchange was conducted in English, and I now have a pretty silver pin from the Swedish equestrian team, and a Swedish groom has a Hong Kong equestrian pin.

2008 Olympic coverage on TheHorse.com:

Welcome to My 2008 Equestrian Olympic Blog!

Jennifer — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:07:00 GMT

Are you geared up for the 2008 Olympic equestrian events -- eventing, dressage, and jumping? I am. I'm Jennifer Bryant, certified Olympics junkie and author of Eclipse Press's new book, Olympic Equestrian: A Century of International Horse Sport. I'm currently en route to Hong Kong for my first-ever sojourn as a credentialed Olympic journalist, and I'll be blogging here about the experience. Currently I'm jet-lagged in San Francisco, waiting for a zero-dark-thirty departure to HK. I'll update you as soon as I can after I arrive. Meanwhile, get a taste of what's in store by visiting the official 2008 Olympic equestrian Web site, http://www.equestrian2008.org. Opening ceremonies (in Beijing) are August 8 (the Chinese consider the number 8 to be lucky, and the ceremonies are on 08-08-2008), and equestrian competition begins August 9 with eventing dressage.