Five show jumping teams held up on way to the Olympics
Five teams of show jumping horses traveling to the Olympic competitions in Hong Kong have been held up on their journey due to a tropical storm.
The 24 horses, from the American, Chinese, United Arab Emirates, Australian and Saudi Arabian teams, were due to arrive at Hong Kong today (Wednesday) from Amsterdam.
But due to the level 8 typhoon Kummuri, the Australian and Saudi horses have been held in Dubai for 24 hours to allow the weather to improve.
They are being held at the stables of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed, who is the husband of International Equestrian Federation president Princess Haya. The other teams have not left Amsterdam.
In Hong Kong the British and other teams were confined to indoor facilities while the tropical storm raged.
But British team leader Will Connell told H&H that the storm had abated and all was normal again at 5.30pm local time. “It’s all perfectly fine now,” he said.
Flags, hoardings and barriers have been blown down around the Olympic venue at Sha Tin but there is no permanent damage.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.