About 500 secondary school students from different districts gathered on the public concourse of Sha Tin Racecourse today to share the success stories and the tears of four local and Mainland Olympians and Paralympians.  Their meeting was part of the opening ceremony for the two-day Beijing Olympic Games Preparatory Work Exhibition being staged at the racecourse this weekend (9/10 December).

Guest of honour at the opening was Mr Liu Jingmin, Vice-Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), who was joined at the ceremony by Mr John Chan, Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Dr Patrick Ho, Secretary for Home Affairs; Mr Chen Yaqiong of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; Ms Jenny Fung, Chairman of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled; and Mr Pang Chung, Honorary Secretary of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.

Adding Olympic flavour and a relaxing mood to the event were the five Beijing Olympic Games mascots, collectively named "FuWa", who walked around the venue eager to make Hong Kong friends.

Organised by The Hong Kong Jockey Club with BOCOG's support, the exhibition has aroused much interest as it features models of the key Olympic venues, including the National Stadium and National Aquatic Centre in Beijing and the equestrian competition venues in Hong Kong.

The Club is providing the venues for the 2008 Olympic Games equestrian events, and Mr Chan said he was pleased to report that all work was on schedule and the progress to date very encouraging.  "Despite the challenge of a tight schedule, we are confident of having all the key facilities in place before the trial event in August 2007," he said.

In his officiating speech, Mr Liu described Hong Kong and Beijing as two international cities with different characteristics.  "The staging of the Olympic Games equestrian events in Hong Kong will further enhance the relationship between our two cities," he commented.  "With Hong Kong's ample experience in organising equestrian competitions and a broad base of public participation, I am confident that we can complete this mission with great success."

Also visiting Hong Kong to show support for the exhibition and meet the teenage students was China's first Winter Olympic medallist, Ye Qiaobo, who was joined by three local elite athletes, namely Amy Chan, a bronze medallist at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games badminton exhibition event; Fung Ying-ki, 2000 and 2004 Paralympic Games wheelchair fencing gold medallist; and disabled rider Nelson Yip, who has recently qualified for the 2008 Paralympic Games.