Ryttar-OS: Perfekt underlag i terrängen, anser arrangören

Arrangörerna av Ryttar-OS i Hongkong anser att underlaget vid terrängprovet i fälttävlan är perfekt.
Detta efter ett antal tester.

Från Ryttar-OS:
The Olympic cross-country turf course at Beas River has been thoroughly tested and the results prove that the quality of the turf, the shock-absorbency of the footing and its drainage ability are all excellent. The turf is well and truly ready for the Olympic Eventing cross-country competition in August.

 The turf experts in the Club's Tracks Department are the men in charges of planting the grass that provides perfect footing for the horses. The entire planting project at Beas River was finished by March 2007. Since then, the turf experts have given the grasses their personal attention, including daily inspection.  Depending on the elements, whether it's rain or sun, the experts use different methods to help the turf grow, such as precise watering, cutting and fertilising.

In April 2008, the turf was tested by overseas grass experts, who agreed that the quality of the cross-country turf footing is excellent and more than suitable for holding the Olympic Eventing competition.

The Club began planting Bermuda grass on its two racecourses back in the mid-1970s and, with the experience learned, it was an obvious choice to use Bermuda grass on the Olympic cross-country course.

The Club’s assistant manager (tracks) T Y Cheung has supervised the turf project in Beas River from day one. Bermuda grass is “summer grass”, according to Cheung, and is only now “awakening” from winter. “The quality of the turf currently gets 80 marks out of 100", T Y says. "After two months of growing and intensive care by the Club, the cross-country turf course will get the full 100 marks and be perfect for the Olympics.".

The Club has invested around HK$28 million in the cross-country footing at Beas River, including refurbishing the jump zones with sand and planting a total 45,000 square meters of Bermuda grass on the Beas River competition course and warm-up areas.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club, designated "Outstanding Contributor, Beijing 2008 Olympic Equestrian Events" by the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of XIX Olympiad (BOCOG) has invested over 100 million Euro in providing venues and facilities for 2008 Olympic Equestrian Events.
The events will be organised by Equestrian Events (Hong Kong) of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Company Limited, known as the Equestrian Company.