The mayor of the Paralymic Village, Elsie Leung, officiated at Thursday's ceremony to declare the village open for the Beijing 2008 Paralympics Equestrian Events being held in Hong Kong, September 7-11.

Located at Pak Hok Ting Street in Sha Tin, the venue will provide accommodation for athletes and officials participating in the games. It is expected that 73 riders will take part in the five days of competition.

The first batch of horses for next month’s equestrian events of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday, August 26, during the evening hours.

The horses—four from Melbourne—were soon ensconced in the air-conditioned stables in Sha Tin specially built for them.

The remaining 68 horses have also arrived in time for the five-day, competition which starts on September 7.

A total of 73 riders representing 28 National Paralympic Committees have been entered into the competition.