Good news and bad news came from the International Olympic Committee meeting in Singapore today, July 8. The good news is that the delegates voted to keep the equestrian events in the Olympic program for 2012, when the Olympics will be in London for the first time since 1948.

But the bad news is that they accepted the proposal from the 2008 Beijing Organizing Committee to move the equestrian events from Beijing to the island of Hong Kong, 1,200 miles to the south. The reason, according to a statement from the Federation Equestre Internationale, is the organizers\’ “inability to set up and enforce an adequate disease-free zone for horses in China. Although these were mentioned in Beijing\’s bid when securing the games, at the time it did not appear to be the insurmountable obstacle that it has now become.”

The lack of a certified disease-free zone around the equestrian venue meant that horses from the United States, Australia and the European Union wouldn\’t be able to return home with a lengthy and very expensive quarantine.

The Beijing Organizing Committee has pressed their proposal to the IOC for the last six months, despite the official objection of the FEI, despite a proposal to move the equestrian events to another site near Beijing, and despite objections from dozens of national federations and riders.

The main challenge to the organizers and FEI officials now will be the climate. The Olympics are scheduled for Aug. 8-24, when there is no racing at the track that will host the equestrian events because it\’s just too hot and humid—even worse than horsemen feared the climate would be for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

FEI officials have, therefore, promised, “A study on the climate will be conducted this summer, to determine the competition formats and schedules, as the normal weather patterns suggest an extremely hot and humid environment for horses, as well as excessive rains and typhoons which could interfere with the timetabling of events. A number of safeguards will be established, as the welfare of the competing horses is paramount. The Hong Kong Jockey Club will be integral to this cooperation, and it is acknowledged that they already have the best veterinary services in Asia.”