Shanghai Scrap

As promised, some additional photos and commentary from Hong Kong’s Olympic equestrian venue in Shatin. Overall, it’s a lovely venue, and the events – based upon one night’s sample – are extremely well-run and organized. I haven’t yet been up to Beijing, but compared to the soccer matches at Shanghai Stadium, the Hong Kong equestrian events are a step above in the categories that count: China-specific decor, security, free gifts, concessions, and between-match entertainment.

Before I get to those items, though, allow me to share a photo of Gina Miles of the US on her silver medal run in the individual eventing final:

Note, above, the Chinese design-elements in the jump. A nice touch, though not nearly as nice as the panda jump … seen being carted away during an intermission, after the jump …

Next, security. All in all, I thought that the security gauntlet at Shanghai Stadium was efficient – but that’s mostly due to the massive deployment of personnel and metal detectors. I’d be very surprised if there were more of the latter at Pudong Airport. But, with just one small modification, Hong Kong’s security lines were nearly twice as fast despite having half the detectors and personnel. That modification is shown below: security personnel hand out the small baskets for pocketed items that need to be x-rayed – in advance of the x-ray machines.

That’s right: the guy with keys, phones, and two money clips in his pockets has plenty of time to place them in the basket, and won’t hold up the line! When will airports worldwide follow Hong Kong’s Olympic lead?

Next category: free gifts. Unlike in Shanghai (or Beijing, if my sources are to be trusted), the Hong Kong organizers provide spectators with free gifts as they enter the facility. They include: a rain poncho (!), a Fuwa flag, a fan, and a pair of foldable, disposable, Olympic-themed binoculars (pictured below).

Next, and perhaps most important: concessions. As noted in a post last week, the Shanghai food concessions were unspeakably bad. Fallows, meanwhile, provides evidence that the situation in Beijing isn’t much better (see point 5 of this post). So it is with some relief and joy that I report that – in Hong Kong – the food nearly reaches Olympic heights. Below, the main food menu:

[Currency converts at US$1 = HK$7.8]

Now, that might not seem like much of an improvement. But believe me, it is. On the basis of my own taste test, the hot dog nearly met Hebrew National quality, and the chicken leg in soy wasn’t bad. But the real revelation was to be found in this supplementary sandwich and meal box menu:

Penne in Cream Sauce? A Sweet Peppers and Lettuce sandwich? That’s equestrian-worthy cuisine! For research and historical purposes, only, I offer the beverage line-up:

Finally: between match entertainment. Where I come from, no sporting event is complete without a high-school marching band stomping around the field at half-time. So I was more than a little surprised to attend two Shanghai double-header soccer matches, complete with two half-times and one-hour between match intermissions … and learn that they were completely lacking in marching bands, dance teams, or – even – fuwa. Shameful.

Thankfully, Hong Kong knows better, and last night, during the between-event intermission, and in advance of the medal ceremony, the crowd was serendaded with a shiny university marching band, supplemented with a troupe of frenetic dragon dancers.