HK re-thinking horse quarantine for 2008 Games

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(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-05-26 14:41

HONG KONG, May 26 -- Hong Kong is considering loosening import rules for horses competing at the 2008 Olympics after some countries complained the quarantine period was too long, a newspaper reported on Friday.

Olympic equestrian events were switched from host city Beijing to Hong Kong in the face of opposition from the governing International Equestrian Federation (FEI) last year because of difficulties in establishing a disease-free zone on the mainland.

"At the FEI annual general assembly held in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, individual countries had already voiced their discontent over the issue and some leading countries, including Germany and the United States, are considering not sending their best horses to Hong Kong if the government does not review the quarantine arrangements," a source close to the FEI was quoted as saying in Friday's South China Morning Post.

Horses competing in equestrian events in Hong Kong have to undergo seven days of pre-export isolation in special quarantine stables in global transport hubs around the world, then 10 days of isolation upon arrival in Hong Kong.

With travel time and extra days tacked onto some horses' quarantine in Hong Kong while awaiting the arrival of all competitors, the whole process could take close to a month, the paper said.

"There are usually a lot of equestrian events in Europe during summer and the horse owners may be reluctant to send their best horses to Hong Kong," the source added. "If that's the case, the quality of the Games in Hong Kong will be seriously affected."

The newspaper reported that the Equestrian Events Committee meeting in Hong Kong last week there were "heated exchanges" on whether or not to shorten the quarantine period.

For the Sydney Games in 2000, horses were required to endure a 14-day quarantine before travelling, and another 14 days after arriving, it said.

In 1956, the Olympic equestrian competition was relocated to Stockholm from Melbourne when the organisers tried to impose a six-month quarantine period, it said.