This was the dream of a lifetime. Thanks to the efforts of the Chinese government and the Chinese Olympics Organizing Committee, the IOC had decided to make an exception and allow the 2008 Olympics equestrian competition to take place in Hong Kong. Just a few years after Beijing won the right to host the Olympics, Hong Kong people have something to celebrate, and they'll be able to release some of their Olympic fervor right on their own doorstep.

"Things were not the same now. The central government showed that it saw Hong Kong people as true citizens of China,which made us feel proud and honored," said Siu-Kei Lee, Chairman of Henderson Land Development Group.

"It was something that the people of Hong Kong could have never imagined. You could say the hope of a hundred years, a dream of a hundred years, and now it was the reality of a hundred years," said Patrick Ho Chi-ping, Secretary Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR government.

When a 3-D model of the National Sports Center and Hong Kong Equestrian Competition Track was unveiled at the "Beijing Olympics Preparatory Work Exhibition," it naturally attracted a great deal of attention from Hong Kong residents. This exhibition, supported by the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee and staged by the Hong Kong Horse Racing Association, marked the first time so much of the process of preparing for and staging the Olympics had been presented in Hong Kong. Without doubt, the staging of the 2008 Equestrian competition in Hong Kong will open a new chapter in Hong Kong's century-long tradition of horse racing.

Nelson Yip, who was selected for the equestrian event, attracted a lot of attention on the floor of the exhibition. He is, so far, the only person who has qualified to participate in the 2008 Special Olympics equestrian competition, and his a story that crystallizes the legendary Hong Kong drive, for he had reached this point in only five short years. Starting with a deep love of the sport, every technical improvement he achieved drove him on to make yet more progress. Now with the 2008 Olympic Games close at hand, Nelson Yip's dream is becoming a reality.

"I will do my best to represent the people of Hong Kong. This is not just for myself, but for all our friends in Hong Kong, as well as our friends in the rest of China. It is my heartfelt wish that everyone support us," said Nelson Yip, Hong Kong equestrian in the 2008 Special Olympics.

In order to bring about the successful staging of the Olympic equestrian competition, Hong Kong set up the Olympic Equestrian Committee which is composed of officials of the HKSAR government, the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee and the International Equestrian Federation. The committee's working body is the Olympics Equestrian Company. competition draws near, the Olympics Equestrian Company, and naturally enough the committee has been kept very busy with all it has to accomplish. By 2008 Hong Kong's Sha Tin will have a new landmark, as this is where the 2008 Olympics Equestrian Competition will make its entry onto the world stage.

Checking on the progress of construction has become the main focus of Tim Fok Tsun-Ting's work. Sadly, just one year after Hong Kong was awarded the right to host the Olympics equestrian events, Henry Fok Ying-tung passed away. But the frenetic pace of Tim Fok Tsun-Ting's work shows that he has inherited his father's spirit, earning him the unqualified support of Hong Kong's 7 million people.

"This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the opportunity to participate in a large-scale Olympics competition,"said volunteer.

"This is a great honor for Hong Kong, and my participation makes me happy personally as well as happy for all the people of Hong Kong," said volunteer.

"The country has given Hong Kong the opportunity to stage this event and now we all want to participate," said volunteer.