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First Arrivals

It was a huge task for the organizing committee to manage the arrival  
of all of the horses, but now they are here and settled in at TIEP  
(Terengganu International Endurance Park). All of the horses except  
UAE, Bahrain and Qatar which will arrive later by private plane, were  
shipped from various airports around the world and flown directly to  
Terengganu by Malaysia Airlines Cargo. Only a month ago these huge  
planes - the jumbo B747-400's - could not land in Terengganu because  
the airport runway was not long enough. The Terengganu state  
government and Malaysia Airlines funded a construction project to  
extend the runway from 2800 to 3400 meters - allowing enough room for  
the jumbo jets to land. This project enabled the Sultan Mahmood  
Airport to gain International status, which will be a tremendous  
boost to Terengganu's economies. With sights set on the 2008 WEC and  
the need to transport 150 horse from around the world, the project  
was pushed along at a rapid pace. Construction began in April and was  
completed by October -  crews worked around the clock to achieve the  
goal.  On October 11, for the first time, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing  
747-400 landed at the Kuala Terengganu Sultan Mahmud (International)  
Airport.

So now the horses are settled in to their respective quarantine  
stables.  Grooms and equipment arrived with the horses, and the  
additional riders and support crews are trickling in.  The grooms  
(which are also the riders in some cases) are settling into their  
routines - the feeding, watering, exercising, clipping. Most teams  
have a veterinarian on site (in addition to the 'local'  
veterinarians) monitoring the conditions of the horses and dealing  
with any issues that arise.  There will be one more large influx of  
people on October 29, which is the date at which the organizing  
committee will begin covering additional accommodation costs for the  
various Nation's teams - riders, veterinarians and chef d'equipes.

I'm trying to guess at the number of people that will be here for  
this event - it's going to be huge! 141 horses - riders, grooms, team  
staff (vets, chefs, support staff) - that will be close to 600 people  
just for each horse/rider combo. (not counting the UAE which will  
probably have close to 100 of it's own support staff). Then there's  
the organizing committee - a hundred or so. The FEI staff - vets,  
judges, stewards - close to 100? The military and state staff to  
manage the track and facilities and traffic control and emergency  
services. The food services.  Vendors and displays. The maintenance  
and janitorial staff. The swarms of media, the spectators (this is  
HUGE event for Malaysia as a nation).  It's mind boggling...

But there is an air of capable confidence here. I see a lot of tired  
faces, but still very good spirits and there is no sense of panic.  
Everything is moving along as planned, as hoped. The event is in very  
capable hands. The head of the WEC OC, Dato' Salleh, is always  
smiling, always calm and friendly. He exudes a wonderful welcoming  
manner and I'm sure his firm quiet way contributes greatly to the  
overall mood. Azrin Zhudi is the event director. The company Arif  
Solutions which is owned by Azrin and her husband Daniel had  
developed event management software which makes everyone's life much  
easier. Eventuz is targeted for the larger world of event management,  
but has been honed to perfection through the management needs of the  
2008 WEC. Azrin said that the software has made her job much easier  
as all of the event management details (such as travel and  
accomodation) are accessible and organized by the system.

This week will provide time for the grooms and horses to relax and  
settle in to a routine before the intensity begins. And the  
organizing committee will be able to take a deep breath now that the  
horses have safely arrived - but I'm certain there is no time for  
relaxation for them. Now with barely 2 weeks left, they will sharpen  
their focus to the final preparations.

later -

Steph
http://www.endurance.net/2008WEC/



 

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