SI.com - Olympics - Official: China heat could kill horses Horses could die in the heat if Olympic equestrian events are held in Hong Kong during the 2008 Beijing Games, the former secretary-general of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation was quoted as saying Tuesday.
How do the elephans survive in the heat of Thailand?
Is it because elephants don't "compete?"
Are horses more prone to going prone in the heat? Or, is it the humidity?
Can't the horse races occur at dawn, so as to be in prime time in the WEST COAST? It would be cooler at dawn.
What do you call a cow without any legs? .... Ground beef.
But that kiddie joke isn't funny any more as there is a word, "downers" now is an official world in the vet and cattle circles. A downer is an animal that can't get up. Those downers are all tested now -- for mad cow disease.
A cow in the American West recently tested positive for mad cow disease.
I'm sure that the control freaks in China would much rather have the lifestock all go to Hong Kong. No sense in spreading the illnesses of the world to Beijing and putting a BILLION PEOPLE to bed hungry with some infection that could spread.
China is now running into some big problems with its birds. A flock of ducks or geese were hit with a "bird flu" (not flew) in the past weeks. This was in the interior of the country and the animals were migrating. In a blink of time, thousands if not millions of fowl could be infected. That is scary on many dimensions.
If Hong Kong won't have the equestrian events, I could see those events being offered to Taiwan.
Horse racing is a big deal in Hong Kong, by the way. They were building a big race track very near to the center of the city last year. Gambling is a big deal too, at the track. They are called, Jockey Clubs.
Another interesting concept in China, polo. Not water polo but polo with horses. A former dynasty in China got into polo for a bit. It is a game for kings. Polo didn't fly in modern times nor with the communist. But, there were some rather large public art pieces in squares and such that featured polo.
I don't think POLO is an OLYMPIC sport. Perhaps it could be pulled into the offering for Hong Kong as an exhibition sport.
Perhaps China couls sweeten the deal and be able to put horses in Hong Kong if a deal was cut to also allowed the jockey clubs of Hong Kong to permit gambling and book making on the Olympic events. In house bets on DIVING would be a real draw.
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China heat a threat to Oly horses?
Posted: Monday June 27, 2005 11:31PM; Updated: Monday June 27, 2005 11:31PM
HONG KONG (AP) -- Horses could die in the heat if Olympic equestrian events are held in Hong Kong during the 2008 Beijing Games, the former secretary-general of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation was quoted as saying Tuesday.
The reported comments by Tang Pui-tat clashed with the opinions of Beijing Olympic organizers, who want to move the equestrian events to Hong Kong. They say there's a risk of equine diseases in Beijing and that Hong Kong has more experience caring for the animals.
But Tang was quoted by the South China Morning Post as saying Hong Kong's August heat would be too hard on many horses.
"Will horses which come from cooler climes like Europe be able to cope in the hot and humid weather conditions we experience in August," Tang was quoted as saying in the front-page story. "Some horses could die, especially during the grueling eventing which combines jumping hurdles and cross country."
Tang noted that Hong Kong's horse-racing season ends in August. "One of my concerns in staging the equestrian events here is the health of the horses," said the horse expert, who rode for Hong Kong in the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul.
Tang's wife told The Associated Press that Tang was in mainland China early Tuesday and was unable to take media calls.
The Hong Kong Equestrian Federation did not immediately return the AP's calls.
The paper said Tang resigned at the federation this month because of his opposition to holding the Olympic events in Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, the paper said.
In April, Beijing submitted a proposal to the International Olympic Committee to move the equestrian events to Hong Kong, more than 1,250 miles south of the Chinese capital.
The International Equestrian Federation has opposed the switch and the IOC said it would rule in the next few months.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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