Olympics 2008 News
Olympic dressage events leave Hong Kong's horse racing fans yawning
Aug 10, 2008, 3:22 GMT
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Older Talkback
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Hong Kong and China need to realise that the Olympics is actually meant to be about the athletes..Not their thoughts on boring or not. The dressage they were watching was not dressage...but eventing dressage..ie the first phase of the equestrian triathlon. If they are after excitment then they should come for crosssountry day tomorrow. Since Hong Kong is a country that specialises in table tennis, I guess we should just ignore their comments.
All this proves is that China should never have had the Olympics. They do not have the diplomacy to appreciate decent horsemanship. They only want sports that revolve around horses running their legs off for their owners then being slaughtered because they are no more use to them.
Hong Kong people are hardly the only people in the world to find dressage boring. It's a pretty standard reaction in every country where the Olympics are held. Unfortunately the attention on athletes has been diluted precisely by the inclusion of comedy sports like dressage and synchronised swimming.
Anyone who thinks dressage is anything but one of the most boring things in the entire world should be strung up by the balls.
I can't believe somebody would say dressage is boring..Dressage riding is one of the most intense riding sports that a person can do with a horse. Obviously, the people that find this sport boring don't understand Dressage fundamentals. I would like to see them ride a dressage horse through its tests and then I would love to see them jump 6 feet in the Grand Prix jumping..it would be a sight to see them try to stay on. Why do they attend as a spectator when they are bored..?
Who is to blame?
The Chinese for their lack of education on the finer points of equitation? I mean every red blooded American knows exactly what a fly lead change is, right?
Maybe we should blame the Olympics for not promoting the equestrian venue enough. Maybe they should have a seminar for all the spectators on what is dressage, prior to watching the teams compete?
Let be fair here, if you watch swimming the guy who comes in first, wins the gold. The basketball team with the most points, gets the gold. Even gymnastics most people can follow and know a good performance from a bad. The best performance gets the gold.
So why can't an average Joe watch dressage, without the sudden urge to take a nap? The answer is simple.
Dressage is a test of UNSEEN communication between horse and rider doing the same movements as every other competitor. No flapping arms and shouts, no race, no high jump, no originality, nada, zilch, zero. Even the riding outfits are pretty standard.The difference between first and second place is a slight hesitation of the horses stride, or a non rounded top-line or some small mistake that only a few well trained judges in the world could catch.
Now take the best dressage riders in the world, the best dressage horses in the world, and ask the man on the street to tell you who did the best job.
I agree in part with the last poster. Not enough was done to help locals understand. if they did, then surely the dressage stadium on the first day of the three phase would have been almost empty save for trainers family and grooms. It isn't a big draw card. The level of dressage in three phase is very basic. All that's really required is obedience through some very basic moves.
I myself didn't go, only going for the cross country yesterday. Speaking to a few locals I was surprised to learn they had no clue, some kept asking who had won. This like asking the same question in the middle of a cricket test match.
As I live here I have witnessed the run up to these games and very little proper information has been given. A few brief weekly programs about equestrian sport in Europe and the personalities involved wasn't enough. To add to this there was no coverage on the news about equestrian sports none at all so there was also no build up. Even now as the games are well under way they receive hardly a mention in the news sports round up. Only to say that the Chinese rider had a fall. So going into the Jumping phase no one is the wiser. And again they will be disappointed as its not grand prix jumping its three phase jumping. Only exciting at this level if you know what's going on.
As far as I am concerned they shouldn't have sold tickets for each separate event. One ticket should have seen you through the dressage the cross country and the jumping. I would have attended the Dressage had that been the case but also locals would've understood what it was all about.
Attendance was low at the eventing phase as a result. The most exciting phase. I should imagine it will be even lower today for the jumping. This bodes badly for when the grand prix dressage and jumping start, I will be there that's for sure, but I wonder if the locals will even bother? Not even the TV stations are bothering here, there was no complete coverage. Not even half coverage absolutely nothing for those that had to work and missed it all.
While complaining I would like to say also that a cold hotdog with coke is not what I consider catering at an Olympic venue, it has to win the all time reward for the most disgusting early morning breakfast I have ever had. No coffee or tea on the entire site all day.
Luckily it was a very well organised three phase at least for competitors and horses, at that level it all went brilliantly.
I am extremly disapointed that there was no coverage on the dressage grand prix! Why have it at all? It is as though they were not part of the olympics.
It took years of hard work for those riders to be there, not to mention the effort of going through quartine and flying these beautiful horses to the venue.
Yes, dressage is difficult to understand for those who know nothing of it, but there are those of us who do and would of like to of watched.
For me personally, i have waited along time to see this, as my coach is riding in the olympics.
I would just like to say to all tose who are involved in stopping them from broadcasting the event, shame on you, reardless how you veiw dressage, it still is a olympic event and deserves some coverge!!!
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