Hong Kong Prepares For Equestrian Olympics
香港举办奥运马术赛一切筹备就绪

　 
For horse lovers, the main event of the Olympics is the equestrian competition - and that will be held in Hong Kong, not Beijing.

对喜欢马的人来说，北京奥运的主要项目是马术比赛。本届奥运马术比赛将在香港举行，而不是北京。

It's happening in Hong Kong, not only in Beijing - the Olympics that is. This television commercial, featuring international movie star Jackie Chan, was produced by Hong Kong's tourism board to promote the equestrian events in the city.

北京奥运不仅仅在北京举行，也在香港举行。这个电视广告由国际巨星成龙主演，由香港旅游局制作，目的是宣传在香港举行的马术比赛。

Organizers of the Olympics moved the equestrian competition here because Beijing and other mainland Chinese cities could not guarantee disease-free zones for the horses. Lam Woon Kwon, chief executive of the company that organizes the equestrian Olympics, says Hong Kong, by contrast, meets international veterinary standards.

奥运会组织者将马术比赛移到这里举行，是因为北京和大陆其他城市无法保证马匹不受到疾病感染。组织奥林匹克马术比赛的负责人、奥运马术公司委任行政总裁林焕光说，相反，香港符合国际兽医的各项标准。

"Hong Kong of course has an international reputation of being a clean city in terms of quarantine for horses," Lam said. "We haven't had any major horse disease for more than 16 years - so we are a very clean city, so people have confidence in us."

他说：“就马匹检疫来说，香港当然拥有干净城市的国际信誉。我们已经有16年以上没有出现大的马匹疾病，所以我们是非常干净的城市，所以人们对我们有信心。”

Unlike the rest of China, Hong Kong also has a lot of experience organizing horse races. The city's Jockey Club has been around for more than 100 years. The Club spent $150 million to build new facilities and training venues for the Olympics, including an 1800 seat arena and new stables for over 200 horses.

不像中国其他地区，香港还有许多组织赛马的经验。香港的赛马俱乐部有100年以上历史。这个俱乐部花了1亿5千万美元为奥运兴建新的设施和训练场地，其中包括一个有1800个座位的看台，和能够容纳200多匹马的新马厩。

More than 200 riders and horses are expected to compete in the Olympics, which will be followed by the Paralympics with about 75 participants. All horses will be flown in. Dressage and jumping events will be held in the Jockey Club's Sha Tin race course, close to the border with mainland China. A golf course was converted into a cross-country course.

预计将有超过200名骑手和马匹将参加奥运马术比赛，随后继续举行有75名选手参加的残奥会。所有马匹将从外地空运过来。驯马和跳栏项目将在马术俱乐部的沙田马场举行，那里靠近大陆边界。一个高尔夫球场则被改装成越野比赛场地。

While athletes do not have to worry about diseases, and pollution is less of a problem here than in Beijing, there are other challenges. The main worry of many participants is Hong Kong's sweltering summer heat and extreme humidity, which can reach up to 80 percent in August. But the organizers are well-prepared. Gerald Kuh, jumping manager for the equestrian Olympics, describes how new state-ot-the-art stables will keep horses cool.

虽然运动员不必担心马匹疾病，空气污染问题也没有北京严重，但是还有其他挑战。许多参赛者主要担心，香港炎热的天气和极端的潮湿，8月份时潮湿度可能高达百分之80。但是奥运组织者已有充分准备。奥运马术跳栏项目的经理库赫先生说，他们有最先进的马厩来保持马匹体温正常。

"This will all be air-conditioned. We will set the temperature at 23 degrees Celsius," he said. "And you see this isolation here is to keep the temperature consistent everywhere so it won't be colder on this end and hotter on that end - it comes out, you know, through the stable."

他说：“那里有空调。我们会把温度定在摄氏23度。这些设备能够让气温在每个角落保持一致，不会这边冷，那边热。整个马厩都会温度一致。”

Both venues also have large so-called misting tents, where huge fans blow icy sprinkles of water on the horses, allowing them to cool down after a race.

两个比赛场地则设有巨大的喷雾遮篷，那里有巨大的风扇将冰雾吹向马匹，使马匹在比赛后凉快下来。

Mr. Lam says the venues are also able to cope with strong tropical downpours, which often occur in August.

林焕光说，比赛场地还能对付强烈的热带暴雨，这种暴雨在8月份经常发生。

"We built a top-of-the range drainage system that is extremely important - which means that even after a heavy downpour we can resume the games as soon as we possibly can," Lam explained.

他说：“我们兴建了先进的排水系统，这是极端重要的，这也就是说，即使下大雨，我们也能够在最快的时间内恢复比赛。”

Mr. Lam says that participants in last year's international test races were happy with the facilities. Only the Swiss dressage team pulled out because of concerns about the weather conditions.

林焕光说，去年来这里参加国际测试比赛的参加者都对这些设施感到高兴。只有瑞士的驯马队因为顾虑到天气情况退出比赛。

Hong Kong authorities say the security threat level for the Olympics in the city is moderate. The Hong Kong police will deploy about four thousand officers to guard the equestrian competition. Ahead of the Olympics, police in Hong Kong held a large joint operation with colleagues in Southern China against organized crime in the area. More than 16-hundred people were arrested.

香港特区政府说，奥运期间在香港的安全威胁程度中等。香港警方将部署大约4千名警察来保护马术竞赛。在奥运会之前，香港警方还和中国南部武警举行了联合演习，对付这个地区的黑社会犯罪份子。有超过1600人被捕。

Police officials say they spent two years to draw up a security plan for the event, and recently held discussions with local activists to work out the logistics of potential demonstrations.

警方表示，他们花了两年时间制订出马术比赛的安全计划。最近还和当地活动人士讨论研拟对付可能出现的示威的办法。

The former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997, enjoys civil liberties not available in other parts of China, including freedom of speech and the right to demonstrate. But ahead of the Olympic torch relay in Hong Kong in May, immigration officials had turned away several pro-Tibet activists, sparking protests from human rights groups. Asked at a press conference whether protesters will be allowed to display Tibetan flags, Hong Kong's police commissioner Tang King-shing gave a carefully-phrased answer.

"About demonstrators using any flags, or banners or equipment or whatever - I think each and every case has to be considered on its own merit and according to the individual circumstances. Our ultimate objective is to ensure peace and safety," Tang said.

“有关示威者使用任何旗帜，或横幅，或装备，或任何东西，我想每一样东西都必须根据具体情况考虑它本身的用处。我们的最高任务就是确保和平和安全。”

At Hong Kong's Olympic venues, flags, banners, leaflets and other materials pushing political and commercial causes will be banned - in accordance with the Olympic charter. Organizers say spectators wearing T-shirts with political slogans will be asked to change their clothes or leave the venue.

根据奥林匹克宪章，在香港的奥林匹克比赛场地，含有政治和商业意图的旗帜、横幅、传单以及其他物品将被禁止。组织者说，身穿含有政治口号衣服的观众将被要求更换，或者离开赛场。

Most people in Hong Kong are looking forward to the event, such as this young man.

"Olympics in Hong Kong is very great, is very good! I think for Hong Kong, for everybody, it's good news," said Lam Woon Kwon, chief executive of the company that organizes the equestrian Olympics says Hong Kong. The company has hosted many international events, such as the meeting of the World Trade Organization in 2005, but never a major sports competition. He says it is an honor for Hong Kong to co-host the Beijing Olympics.

负责奥运香港马术比赛的林焕光说，香港举办过许多国际性活动，比如2005年的世贸组织大会，但是还从来没有举办过大型体育竞赛。他表示，能和北京共同举办奥运是香港的光荣。

"And also the historical meaning is that we are for the first time ever, after the return of the sovereignty to China, we are hand in hand with Beijing and Qingdao showcasing the new face of China," Lam said.

他说：“具有历史意义的是，自从香港主权回归中国后，能够头一次和北京及青岛携手举办奥运，展现中国的新面貌。”

The coastal city of Qingdao, where the sailing events will be held, is the second major co-host of the Beijing Olympics.

位于山东半岛的沿海城市青岛，这次将举办奥运帆船赛，是北京奥运另一个共同主办城市。