Olympic Donation Corner previews Hong Kong's lasting Olympic legacy

6 January 2009

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has set up an "Olympic Donation Corner" exhibition at The Hong Kong Racing Museum in Happy Valley to highlight some of the memorabilia donated by the public for display in the planned Hong Kong Olympic Museum.  Since its first call for donations in August last year, the Club has already collected over 1,000 items of different types.

The new exhibition, which previews some of the most interesting donations, was unveiled to the media at a briefing today (6 January) by the Club's Executive Director, Charities, William Y Yiu.  It includes a torch from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay; horse rosettes for the gold, silver and bronze medal winners of the Individual Dressage Event at the 2008 Olympics; jackets and helmets worn by Hong Kong riders Samantha Lam, Kenneth Cheng and Patrick Lam; special commemorative stamps and banknotes; and copies of Village Life, the magazine of the Olympic Village.

Mr Yiu said that in developing its plan to build and fund Hong Kong's Olympic equestrian facilities, the Club set itself two primary objectives: to build the best-ever Olympic equestrian venues and to create a lasting legacy for Hong Kong.  "We believe the first objective has already been met as the venues and facilities we provided received wide international acclaim," he explained. "Now we are focusing on the second objective, which is to preserve the city's Olympic legacy by establishing a Hong Kong Olympic Museum, and to continue promoting Olympic ideals and sportsmanship in Hong Kong. Calling for donations from the public is one of the ways in which we can help enrich the Olympic Museum, our city's collective memory."

As well as receiving local donations, the Club has been given valuable items by a number of the visiting Olympic teams, such as the saddle pad used by Chinese rider Liu Lina in the Individual Dressage Competition; the flag of the US equestrian team carrying their signatures; the official costumes and accessories worn by the Russian team and their mascot Cheburashka; and a vest worn by Dutch rider Anky van Grunsven who won gold and silver medals in the Individual and Team Dressage respectively.

Also among the exhibits is a flag signed by members of China's National Gymnastics and Trampoline Teams, presented to the Club when they visited Sha Tin Racecourse to participate in a 30th Anniversary Wish-making and Pledging Ceremony after the Games, and copies of Going for Gold - a newly-published book commemorating Hong Kong's staging of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events.  The book records in photographs some of the most unforgettable moments of the events from the start of venue construction to the departure of the last overseas horses, covering also the community promotional activities, the visit of the Olympic Torch Relay and touching stories of some of the Paralympic riders. The exhibition offers local residents the first opportunity to see this book and recall happy moments of the Games as it has not yet been released in Hong Kong, although it is already on sale at bookstores in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Mr Yiu commented that the city's co-hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian event had given Hong Kong people a unique opportunity to share the spirit and excitement of the Olympics on home soil. He welcomed further donations from corporations and the general public which could enrich the commemorative value of the collection.  "We believe that the support of our local citizens will enable the legacy to live on and help cement Hong Kong's standing as the Equine Capital," he said.

Members of the public or organisations can submit donated items related to the Games and its equestrian events to The Hong Kong Racing Museum, which is located on the second floor of the Happy Valley Stand at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wong Nai Chung Road, opposite the end of Queen's Road East. The Racing Museum is open from Tuesdays to Sundays and on most Public Holidays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (closed on Mondays). During day race meetings at Happy Valley, it opens from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm.  For enquiries, please contact The Hong Kong Racing Museum on (852) 2966 8065.

Hong Kong Olympic Museum

Under a Co-operation Agreement with the International Olympic Committee signed in April 2008, the Club will develop the Hong Kong Olympic Museum at Sha Tin Racecourse.  Through its key themes of "Hong Kong as a co-host city of the Beijing 2008 Olympics", "Sports development in Hong Kong" and "Olympic spirit and sportsmanship", the Museum will uphold the city's sporting memories long after the Olympic Games are over.