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Sports and Recreation

Attending one of the world’s most prestigious five-star equestrian events broadens horizons
20/02/2017

A cornerstone of the HKJC Junior Sports Reporters Programme has been to encourage students to experience and try new things. Watching The LONGINES Masters of Hong Kong 2017 was one such opportunity to learn from and experience a world-class equestrian competition, and it also helped to broaden their sporting horizons!

The LONGINES Masters of Hong Kong, one of the world’s most prestigious five-star equestrian events, is the final round of the Grand Slam Indoor of Show Jumping, following earlier legs in Los Angeles and Paris. On the first night of the event, the HKJC Race of the Riders was held. This unique competition pairs Hong Kong’s renowned jockeys with world-class equestrian riders in a relay race over a show jumping course. The students were excited to watch this thrilling competition and witness the crowning of the champion team.

Being well prepared prior to covering an event is an important part of a journalist’s job. To give the students a basic understanding of the event, the Club introduced equestrian sport and Masters of Hong Kong history, competitions and rules, as well as background information of the jockeys and riders. Many of the students did not know much about equestrian sport, but were eager to learn and understand more in order to be well prepared.

This was the students’ first time to see such a show, and they were really into it! They tried to capture the action of the fast-moving horses, and their talent was revealed in photos that reflected the beauty of the partnership between horse and rider. In addition to watching the skill with which the jockeys handled the show jumping course, the students also took in the atmosphere, and then worked hard to incorporate all the themes of the event into their first news-writing assignment.

Remarking on this unforgettable experience, junior sports reporter Cathy Ng said: “It was amazing how rigorous it is – one step outside of the line could disqualify you. What’s more, watching ‘Team Magic’ and seeing ‘Magic’ Joao Moreira bring the speed of racing to show jumping left a deep impression on me. I hope that in future I will have the chance to know even more about equestrian sport.”

The HKJC Junior Sports Reporters Programme is organised by The Hong Kong Jockey Club in association with Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and supported by the Hong Kong Sports Press Association, Hong Kong Elite Athletes Association, Hong Kong Football Commentators Association, Sportsroad, Cable Sports, Oriental Daily and Canon, among others.

For more information on the HKJC Junior Sports Reporters Programme, please visit our website (in Chinese only) or follow us on Facebook .