London can capitalize on 2012 legacy with courses for horses
When everyone here are talking about 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, let’s turn our eyes to London, the host city of 2012 Olympic Games. “One World, One Dream” is our slogan, what about London? In 2012, London promises to provide the world an inspirational Game that captures the imagination of young people and leaves a lasting legacy. To our surprise, one of the Olympic legacy will be the courses for horses, which will make some of you confused. However, when you penetrate deeper into the history and culture of Britain you will understand their plan thoroughly.
Great Britain has a proud tradition of hosting major equestrian sporting events and there is no doubt that London should attach more importance to these sports events. Trace back to the medieval time, the heart of life at that time was the horse, to say that the true sport of British nobles is not golf but equestrian is not an exaggeration. Being considered as a snobbish or aristocratic sport, the average British family can not afford money to get access to the game. So herein lies the concerns.
Launching “Hoof — Ride London” is the plan that aims at creating more facilities so that everyone can benefit from the London Olympics regardless of where they live. And there are many people enjoying equestrian activities in the capital, it is necessary to make it more accessible and affordable and encourage people to take it up.
For my part, I do support the idea and will be delighted to see the plans put forward by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) for an Olympic equestrian legacy are fulfilled. When it comes to Beijing Olympics, we always talk about what China can show to the world. In my opinion, we should think more about what we should create for our own people and our own culture and what the Olympic legacy we can leave for our youth. Take London for example, people are keen to establish a school programme for children in London, giving support to schools to enable them to offer riding as an option. Let more and more ordinary people benefit from Olympics and encourage more and more youth who are interested in sport to fulfill their dreams, and that is the important message delivered in this article.
Access: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/london_2012/article3065648.ece