Michael Etherington-Smith of Great Britain, the course designer of the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** since 1993, will design the course for the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic equestrian events were moved in July from Beijing to Hong Kong.
Etherington-Smith, 51, designed the cross-country course for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, was the technical delegate at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and is the course designer at the Adelaide CCI**** (Australia). He\’s also a member of the FEI Eventing Committee and had evaluated the proposed site for the equestrian events in Beijing as an FEI representative.
He\’s the first cross-country course designer to create the test for two Olympics.
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“This is a great surprise and honor,” said Etherington-Smith, who\’s already visited the new site as an advisor to Olympic organizing committee. “I\’ve been greatly impressed with the site in Hong Kong and am very much looking forward to the challenge of producing an Olympic standard course on a new site.”
The hub of the equestrian events\-he main arena for dressage and show jumping—will be at the Sha Tin Racecourse and the Hong Kong Sports Institute, while the cross-country course will be a 20-minute drive away at the Beas River Country Club and on the adjoining Hong Kong Golf Club.
