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The WEC -

The 2008 WEC has definitely topped all of the other WEC's in terms of  
quality of organization and grandeur.

In terms of the actual race, I think Malaysia' WEC has also set a new  
standard. The statistics this event was on par with previous FEI  
World Endurance Championships. The completion rate was 38%  (Aachen  
2006 was 40%, Dubai 2004 was 36%), the winning time was surprisingly  
fast - 8:48 at 18.16km/hr (Aachen was just under 10 hours at  
15.96km).  But what makes these race statistics so remarkable were  
the results, relative to the expectations and the fears.  And, of the  
greatest significance, there were no horses requiring serious  
treatment. The biggest concern that the FEI had regarding the final  
determination to sanction a WEC in the tropics was that the  
combination of speed and heat and humidity could prove overly harmful  
to the horse - that if this event resulted in any horse fatalities or  
in an abundance of over stressed horses it would cancel all of the  
progress that Endurance has made over the past years in gaining a  
valid place in the world of FEI - of International equestrian sports.

In fact, this event may well have clinched the validity and  
acceptance of Endurance in the world of FEI sport. The results proved  
that Endurance has matured as a sport in terms of 1. the ability of  
the rider to race responsibly, 2. the athleticism of the horse in  
it's ability to perform and remain healthy, and 3. the management and  
oversight of the FEI in it's capacity to govern the sport at the  
highest level - in a manner which provides for fair competition and  
most importantly protects the horse.

By any standards this event was a tremendous success. I asked Ian  
Williams (FEI director for non-Olympic sports ) for a quick  
evaluation after the race. He didn't hesitate: "stunning"  
"superlative" "impressive" ! He commented that the venue, the  
organization, the effort and achievement was amazing, an absolute  
success. And it was.

This event also represented a landmark in publicity for Endurance.  
This was the first time that ESPN provided live coverage of  
Endurance. And they managed to make it exciting! By filming the first  
2 hours (daylight) and the final 2 hours (also daylight) they were  
able to capture the drama of Endurance competition -(the excitement  
of the start, the emotion of the finish) and to avoid the hours of  
tedium (enduring) from the 25 mile mark to the 75 mile mark, where  
the real work is done, the battle for time and placement is primarily  
fought, but for the spectator it all looks rather tedious!

In terms of organization - it was the result of a very committed and  
competent team, and an abundance of people and resources. The  
interior Sports Ministry of Malaysia, the State of Terengganu, the  
military, the Mounted Police, the Royal Foundation of Terengganu  
(Tuanku/Sultan Mizan foundation), the Malaysian Equestrian  
Federation... this list goes on. I don't know what the final budget  
was for the event. When I asked Dato' Salleh - Chair of the WEC  
Organizing Committee what the budget was he smiled in that very  
Malaysian way (gracious yet revealing little :) and said 'a bit'. I  
heard the number  one hundred million ringets tossed around by a few  
(that's about 30 million USD) - and I could believe it. I also  
'heard' that ESPN alone cost close to 9 million...

It was an exceptionally run equestrian event, but it was also much  
more. It was a Malaysian Happening - a display of National pride;  
Malaysia welcoming the world in their very gracious and competent  
way. The small things, the little touches were everywhere. Things  
that require an attention to detail, and a true desire to make  
everybody feel welcome and well looked after. A taste of the art,  
beauty and spirituality of Asia - the serenity, the hospitality, the  
culture of revering one's guest. All of this was embodied in many  
different ways.

And the attention to detail, and ability to communicate was  
outstanding. A little pocket sized information booklet was given to  
everybody and contained almost all of the information the various  
riders, teams, chefs, etc would need to know about:  dining,  
accommodation, transportation, logistics, several pages with complete  
track information including ride time from point to point at various  
speeds, crew points, water points, start times, distances, etc etc.  
There was a bulletin board in a central location for announcements  
and notices, the offices were always open, and willing to answer  
questions. Press, transportation, drivers, logistics, stewards -  
everybody that was involved with the organization had a brightly  
colored tshirt - it was easy to find a person to ask a question of,  
and easy to eventually identify the person that could best answer  
your question. And there was constant air of politeness. If people  
were tired or short tempered they didn't show.

Malaysian people have a milder culture than those of the western  
world -  less anxious and energized, much slower in movement and  
softer in language, quicker to smile, perhaps less confrontational  
and more deferential, but they also 'get it'. They understand how the  
rest of the world functions, and they seem to be masters at making  
things happen.

And I still marvel at the love and reverence that Malaysians have for  
their King. I think that Tuanku Mizan is very special, even among  
Kings, with a very special wife and family. He is young, sporting,  
quick to smile, easy to talk to. His people absolutely adore him, and  
perhaps this has also contributed to the total success of the 2008  
WEC. For many of the WEC force, their dedication to excellence goes  
beyond just doing their job, to doing it out of love for their King.   
I think that's a hard thing for most of us to understand - to have a  
person, as a symbol of uncomplicated allegiance and reverence. Beyond  
the politics, beyond the scope of life's daily grind. More like a  
movie star in some ways, a John Wayne. Or a religious figure. But  
with a deep history, centuries. It still surprised me at times to be  
having a conversion with 'regular folks' and have them make a  
reference to 'my King' with a look in their eyes that spoke of a  
depth of love and respect that we rarely see in other cultures.

I really can't say enough about the effort that went into this event,  
and the practically perfect result.  I have watched from the  
beginning, and have been involved at some level with the core group  
of Malaysians that set the whole thing in motion to begin with.  A  
clever and persistent group.

more later-

Steph

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