2008 Olympic Equestrian Exhibition offers new insights into Olympic history
16 June 2008
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the first Olympics to be staged in China, have given Hong Kong a unique opportunity to participate as a co-host city for the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events. To allow the public to get a better understanding and appreciation of equestrian sport and share the excitement of this once-in-a-lifetime event, The Hong Kong Racing Museum, in collaboration with the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, will stage the "2008 Olympic Equestrian Exhibition" from tomorrow (17 June) until 28 September.
The 2008 Olympic Equestrian Exhibition is the first exhibition held in Hong Kong dedicated to the Olympic Games, Olympic equestrian events and equestrian sport. On display is an invaluable collection of over 200 exhibits and photographs that give visitors an insight into the origin of the Olympic Games and the spirit of Olympism, equestrian sport and Hong Kong's role as a co-host city for the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Events.
Highlights of the exhibition include a collection of Olympic equestrian event admission tickets and medals; the magic US$1 paper note that brought luck to Olympic equestrian riders; costumes of Olympic equestrian riders of different generations; the first Olympic torch; the Tokyo 1964 and Beijing 2008 Olympic torches which both passed through Hong Kong, and models of Hong Kong's Olympic equestrian venues. A majority of the exhibits are on loan from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, while others have been made available by the German National Equestrian Federation and the Riding for the Disabled Association Hong Kong.
Visitors can enjoy multimedia presentations of the Olympics equestrian events at the Museum's walk-in theatre. A 120-degree curved cinema screen, specially installed in the Theatre for this exhibition, will show a film of the Olympic Games, equestrian sport and the Club's efforts in constructing the Olympic equestrian venues in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the Theatre's existing screen will show historic footage, put together by the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, of past Olympic equestrian events.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club plays its role for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games through contributing over HK$1.2 billion towards building the equestrian event venues, designing and managing its construction, providing supporting facilities and services, and fostering public interest in equestrian sports. In recognition of this, the Club has been officially designated as "Outstanding Contributor, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Equestrian Events". The 2008 Olympic Equestrian Exhibition is another example of the Club!|s initiative in promoting the Olympic spirit in the community.
In due course, the Club will develop the first Olympic Museum in China- a permanent Hong Kong Olympic Museum - following the signing of a Co-operation Agreement with the International Olympic Committee Museum in April this year. The construction is expected to complete in two years. Further details of this will be announced at a later stage.
The Hong Kong Racing Museum is open to the general public, and admission is free. Complimentary guided tours of the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Exhibition will be arranged for the public from Tuesdays to Fridays at 3:00 pm and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. Advance booking is recommended for groups of more than 10. Visitors can test their understanding of equestrian sports and win souvenirs in a special quiz game. The Hong Kong Racing Museum is located on the second floor of theHappy Valley Stand at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wong NaiChung Road(opposite the end of Queen's Road East) and is open from Tuesdays to Sundays and on most Public Holidays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. During day race meetings at HappyValley, it opens from 10:00 am until 12:30 pm only.
For enquiries please contact the RacingMuseumon (852) 2966 8065.
Introduction of the key exhibits and the curved-screen equestrian film presentation:
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Admission tickets for the Olympic equestrian competitions
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Admission tickets for the equestrian events of 16 Olympic Games will be on display, the oldest from the Stockholm 1912 Olympics and the most recent from the Athens 2004 Olympics.
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Medals of the Olympic Games
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Gold, silver and bronze winners' medals from the Antwerp 1920 and Munich 1972 Olympics will be on display, as well as from the first Winter Olympics in 1924 at Chamonix and the most recent in Torino in 2006.
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The first Olympic torch - Berlin 1936 Olympics
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For the first time in the history of the modern Games, the Olympic cauldron in Berlin 1936 was ignited with a flame brought directly from the sanctuary of the Ancient Olympic Games at Olympia. The flame had been carried from Olympia to Berlin by a torch relay.
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Melbourne 1956 Olympics torch
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The XVI Olympiad took place in Melbourne, Australia, while the equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden. Designs of the torch used in both cities were similar, but the one used in Stockholm had a longer handle so that the flame would not frighten the horses during the torch relay.
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Lucky one dollar note - the legendary lucky charm of three Olympic show jumping champions
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This lucky dollar has a legendary story. The US$1 note was in the pocket of American rider Bill Steinkraus at the 1968 Mexico Games when he became show jumping champion. Twenty years later, at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he handed the lucky charm to Pierre Durand, a French horseman. Durand and his horse Jappeloup de Luze also won the gold medal for show jumping. The story continued 16 years later in Athens, when Durand in turn passed the precious note to Brazilian jumper Rodrigo Pessoa, who likewise became Olympic champion in the show jumping competition.
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Multimedia presentations of the Olympics and the equestrian events
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The 120-degree curved screen specially installed at the Musuem Theatre for this exhibition will show a film of the Olympic Games, equestrian sport and the Club's efforts in constructing the Olympic equestrian venues in Hong Kong. Historic footage of past Olympics equestrian events, put together by the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, will be shown separately on the Theatre's normal screen.
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Photo 1:
Admission tickets for the Olympic equestrian competitions
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Photo 2:
Antwerp 1920
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Photo 3:
Munich 1972
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Photo 4:
Chamonix
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Photo 5:
Torino
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Photo 6:
The first Olympic torch - Berlin 1936 Olympics
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Photo 7:
Melbourne 1956 Olympics torch
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Photo 8:
Lucky one dollar note - the legendary lucky charm of three Olympic show jumping champions
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Photo 9:
120-degree curved screen
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Photo 10:
Photos 10/11/12/13/14:
The "2008 Olympic Equestrian Exhibition" has different themed zones. An invaluable collection of exhibits, photos and information of Olympic Games, Olympic equestrian events and equestrian sport is on display.
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Photo 11
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Photo 12
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Photo 13
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Photo 14
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