Please click here for the media accrediation for for th 2009 Rolex Three Day Event.

 

The Olympic Board met today and discussed the initial findings of a KPMG review of temporary venues, commissioned by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) earlier this year.

 

The KPMG review was commissioned to look at four temporary venues to see if cost savings could be made by finding alternatives to using temporary venues.

 

The Olympic Board today endorsed the following recommendations: 

 

– Equestrian events will remain at Greenwich Park;

– The temporary venue for Basketball will remain on the Olympic Park

The KPMG report will be published but it will be necessary to ensure it does not contain commercially sensitive material.

 

The key findings relating to the basketball and equestrian/modern pentathlon venues are listed below.

 

Equestrian: all three Olympic equestrian events (dressage, cross-country and show jumping) are due to be held at Greenwich Park which will also host two disciplines of the Modern Pentathlon competition (running and riding) and the Paralympics equestrian event. 

 

– None of the alternatives identified by LOCOG and considered by KPMG are in a location which is close enough to accommodate the Modern Pentathlon show jumping event which needs to be located close to the Olympic Park to allow the completion of all five events within one day;

– Any move away from Greenwich would therefore result in a doubling up of facilities with the need to build a separate Modern Pentathlon show-jumping facility close to the Olympic Park;

– In addition, all of the alternative venues would also require the funding of additional accommodation as they are not within IOC guidelines for travel time from the Olympic Village;

– Given these considerations, an alternative location for equestrian and modern pentathlon would not result in lower costs than Greenwich Park.

Basketball: currently due to take place in a 12,000 seat temporary arena in the Olympic Park.  This venue is also due to host the Handball final and semi-finals, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball and will be a holding area for athletes before the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

 

– The KPMG review showed that there are no significant savings to be made from moving the venue off the park to an existing permanent facility;

– This is due to the resultant costs of venue hire, operating costs and the loss of ticket revenue due to a reduction in capacity – not building a temporary venue would significantly reduce the number of spectators that would be able to watch the event;

– In addition, using an alternative existing venue for Basketball has significant technical and operational issues and knock-on effects for Handball, ceremonies and the Paralympic sports listed above.

 

All media representatives accredited for Olympic Equestrian Events are invited to an Olympic Media Reception welcoming them to Hong Kong. The host will be the Director of Information Services, Mrs Betty Fung, and the venue is the Ballroom, Regal Riverside Hotel, Sha Tin, from 7 pm to 9 pm on Thursday, 7 August 2008.

Olympic Cross Country Course Walks:

 

August 7:

– Departure from the Media Hotel at 13:30

– Walk itself from 14:15 to 17:15

– Departure from XC Course to Media Hotel at 17:30

– Reception for accredited media at the Media Hotel as of 19:00 

  

August 8:

– Departure from the Media Hotel at 11:30

– Actual walk from 12:30 to 15:00

– Departure from Beas River to Media Hotel at 15:15

– Negotiations are still underway with transportation services as to whether we could drop those who are interested in the 1st Horse Inspection for Eventing directly at the Sha Tin Venue. TBA.

Equestrian Company House Rules on Banned Logos:

– No form of unauthorized publicity, commercial or otherwise, and no form of political propaganda, appearing on flags, banners, clothing, sportswear, accessories or, more generally, on any article of clothing, equipment or goods whatsoever worn or used by spectators, athletes or other participants in the events is permitted. However, this shall not apply to identification of the manufacturer of the article or equipment concerned, provided that such identification shall not be marked conspicuously for the purposes of advertising.

 

 

Richard Johnson (GBR) has been appointed to the new position of FEI Director of Communications following an extensive and open international search. Richard, who is currently Head of Media of The Children�s Society, will join the FEI on 1 September. The Children�s Society is a leading charity dedicated to the care of young people and is a benchmark for media relations in that sector.

With 14 yearsââ?¬â?¢ experience, working in the charitable/not for profit sector for organisations with international issues and reach, Richard has established communications functions and strategies and led new, contemporary campaigns in traditional organisations.  ââ?¬Å?Richard has an excellent track record in establishing and developing good internal and external communications in both executive and volunteer bodies,ââ?¬Â FEI Secretary General Alex McLin said. ââ?¬Å?His understanding of the role of the executive within a committee structure, his creative flair and his experience of communicating with youth and commercial partners will, I am sure, be of great benefit to us all.ââ?¬Â

ââ?¬Å?Joining the FEI at this exciting time is a great challenge and I am thrilled to be joining the team,ââ?¬Â Richard Johnson commented. ââ?¬Å?The long term challenge ahead is to develop new communication tools to unlock awareness opportunities whist maintaining the integrity of the sport. Alongside the National Federations and the talented team in Lausanne I look forward to ensuring the compelling vision and authority of the FEI is shared with all stakeholders, while introducing the sport to new audiences.ââ?¬Â

This is a key appointment in the development of the FEI because, as set out in the Presidentââ?¬â?¢s Manifesto, communicating effectively, both internally and externally, will allow the Federation to move forward at an increased rate. The current FEI Communications Team ââ?¬â?? Malina Gueorguiev, Communications Manager, and Olivia Robinson, Communications Coordinator ââ?¬â?? will be closely involved in the expansion of the Departmentââ?¬â?¢s activities.

 

Transport

There will be buses every 30 minutes from your hotel to the media centre and vice versa.  These will operate 24 hours a day on competition days and between 05.30 and midnight on non-competition days.  It is a very short ride.

Internet

The speed is confirmed as 54mbs for WiFi and 100 Mbs for cable  – this is exactly the same spec as the main press centre in Beijing and exactly the same spec as Aachen.   It is available in the media centre, the tribunes and Beas River.

Mark Pinkstone confirmed that the cost for internet access for the Media Centre is HK$2,500 for the period or HK$200 per day.  This is the same for Beijing.  The organisers had proposed to raise this quite considerably for onsite payment but I expressed my concern, which was supported by the IOC, and I can confirm that this will not now happen ââ?¬â?? there will be no change in charge between prebooking and onsite payment.

There is still an issue with regard to the cost in the hotel which remains at HK $250 per day.  However on behalf of the FEI, and supported by the IOC, I have asked that this area be addressed with the hotel and that we are updated on the scenario next week.  There is no doubt that the cost is way too high and although it is being addressed I cannot promise that this situation will be overcome because I cannot see an immediate solution.  However, the media centre is open 24 hours a day and very good transport is available for those wishing to work at this point ââ?¬â?? but I am aware that nobody wants to flog over to the main media centre just to access their emails etc ââ?¬â?? all I can say is we are on the case.

Lockers

The lockers for both press and photographers are easily sufficient for any reasonable needs.  Those for photographers are located outside to allow for the question of humidity but they are convenient to the photographers work room and can easily accommodate a tripod and other camera equipment / bags.

Press Conferences

Protocol – it has been agreed between IOC and BOCOG that, across the Games,  press conferences will be moderated by  a BOCOG  representative but with an IF (in this case FEI) representative present.    

Moderator – Chris Yip (BOCOG) will introduce and go straight to Q&A.  At the request of both the IOC and the FEI there will be no preamble to press conferences beyond introducing riders (for the benefit of those who do not know them)

 

Balance – I have talked through with Chris the need to ensure a balanced international vs. regional questioning ratio ââ?¬â?? the feeling was that the regional media would not want to ask questions in conferences.

Simultaneous translation will be available so I am confident that the press conferences and briefings will flow smoothly and not be hampered by language barriers

Information gathering

Tours ââ?¬â?? of the stables, vets area, laboratory ââ?¬â?? it is hoped that all these will be possible although only with very limited slots.

 

Course Walks ââ?¬â?? there will be two course walks at Beas River one on 7th and one on a date to be confirmed next week ( 8th or 9th ) to allow for those arriving on 7th.

TOP TIP!

I understand that there is an accreditation activation point inside the arrivals hall at HK airport BEFORE immigration.  I strongly recommend you activate your accreditation at this point because you will a) be able to use the BOCOG immigration channel which will be much quicker than queuing up b) you will not have to go to the activation point at the venue ââ?¬â?? you will be able to sail through.  But as I say it is only a top tip ââ?¬â?? if the point has moved or you canââ?¬â?¢t find it – please , please donââ?¬â?¢t hunt me down!

General

My Taxi from the airport cost just under HK$300 and took around 40 minutes.

I asked Anja Krabbe, who has been resident in HK for several months, if she would be really kind and put together a list of local eateries for your use and she has kindly agreed to do so.

This does not cover every area but rather those that I have heard concerns about, I hope that this information is of use to you and your members and that it reinforces that the FEI, and in particular its Communications Department, are resolute in ensuring that the needs of specialist media attending HK are met.  I am quite certain that our determination is more than matched by the Media Services Team from BOCOG.

On behalf of the FEI Communications Department, may I say how much we look forward to seeing you in HK.

Kindest regards,

Candy Burnyeat

 

Accredited media representatives with Olympic Identity Accreditation Cards (OIAC) for covering the Equestrian Events at the Sha Tin and Beas River venues should validate their permits at the Accreditation Centres.

A spokesman for the Equestrian Company today (July 16) reminded media representatives that the OIAC did not permit access to any Olympic venue until it had been properly validated.

Besides the accreditation centre at the Hong Kong International Airport, activation can be done at the following venues:

* The main entrance of the Sha Tin venue of the Equestrian Events (from July 20);

* The Olympic Village at Royal Park Hotel, Sha Tin (from July 24); and

* The Olympic Family Hotel at Shangri-La Hotel, Kowloon (from August 8).

 

 

 

 

David Porter, Photo Manager. An Australian, Porter worked as a photographer on the Sydney Morning Herald for over 20 years and was closely involved in the 2000 Olympics.

 

 

 

Mark Pinkstone, Head of Media Services. Also an Australian, Pinkstone is a long term Hong Kong resident and has worked for the Hong Kong Government for some time.

Facilities: Photographers will have their own workroom on the ground floor of the press centre with direct access to the arena. Photographers will be able to work on the grass area beside the arena – see picture at left. David will also be blocking off seats in the spectator area for photographers.

Lockers will be provided in a non-air conditioned room, which will hopefully avoid the problem of condensation on lenses. Don’t yet have any details of the locker dimensions.

Wireless Internet connection available Cost 250 Euros, �£199GB, $400US. A form to book this is available at equijournalists.com. Alternative suggestion is purchasing a Vodafone modem. Details at this URL www.getmoving.com.hk. There is a Vodafone shop in Sha-Tin.

The Media Hotel the Regal Riverside is close to Sha-Tin just across the river. There is a tunnel under the river and it should be possible to walk between the two.

Beas River Cross Country is an hour or so away from Sha-Tin. The water complex is close to the media centre. I was not allowed to see the cross country course when I visited in February as most of it wasn’t built at that time. No definite information on a course walk, but have heard there is one planned for August 7th and there was talk of having one on Friday August 8th after the dressage.

Weather: It has been suggested to bring plenty of wet weather gear both for the person and for cameras. It is likely to be very hot & sticky.

 

STOP PRESS- Received from David Porter 15 July

I understand your concerns about internet speed, but every effort has been made by technology to provide the fastest possible speeds.

The theoretical highest speed for the broadband internet is 100mbs and the theoretical highest speed for WiFi is 54mbs. As you know,

the speed is dependent upon how many are using a network at any one point in time. That said, technology have a number of servers in

place to speed the load and keep the speeds as high as possible. Time will only tell, I guess.

There were tests done on the lighting in March, with the outcome being that light levels for FOP will be at 1400 lux and a colour balance

of 5600K. Also, as a result of the test event last year and the lighting test in March, I�ve had victory ceremony specific lighting put in for

photographers. This will be turned on at the completion of competition, take 10 min to come to full strength, and provide fill lighting for

the awful facial shadows that were present during the test event ceremonies.

Submitted by Kit Houghton 

Those of you who are interested in booking internet services before arriving in Hong Kong might make use of the attached form. Please note the end of the pre-order on July 31, 2008. Click here for the Olympic Internet Order Form

Please e-mail the form to ratecardhk@equestrian2008.org or fax to +852 2947 7209.

Should any question occur – be it on technology or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hope that you are looking forward to coming to Hong Kong – we are definitely looking forward to having you here!

Best regards,

Anja Krabbe

Press Venue Supervisor

Equestrian Events (Hong Kong)

of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Company Limited

Venue Media Centre

Room 1.2.097

HK Olympic/Paralympic Equestrian Venue (Sha Tin) Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin

Direct: (852) 2929 7010

Mobile: (852) 6738 9354

Fax: (852) 2947 7209

www.equestrian2008.org

 

 

Photo Manager – David Porter –  davidporter@equestrian2008.org; Mobile +852 6738 9345.

 

Press Venue Supervisor – Anja Krabbe – anjakrabbe@equestrian2008.org