The pristine turf of Sydney's Olympic stadium may never be the same. Although the preparations are being kept top-secret, 'The Australian' newspaper has learned, that up to 140 stock horses and quarter horses will be cantering around the stadium in the historic opening ceremony of the Games.
Horsemen and women from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales are paying the costs of bringing their horses to Sydney - estimated by one rider to be in the "thousands of dollars". "Most of it's off our own bat, I can tell you - but that's the sacrifice we have to make," he said.
The riders have signed confidentiality agreements about their involvement in the ceremony. They have attended training camps supervised by opening ceremony supreme Ric Birch, which were also attended by officers of the NSW Mounted Police.
One rider said the horses would parade around the stadium in formation, in time to music. Stockhorses will also be putting on displays during breaks between the equestrian events at the Olympic equestrian venue.
Polocrosse matches will be staged, along with mock musters. A total of 34 stock horses, worth up to $1 million each, are involved in the event, andowners are paying up to $6000 to bring each horse to Sydney.
The display horses must spend two weeks in quarantine to prevent them infecting any of the elite competition horse. Let the Games begin!
This is how it begins. It is the morning after the Opening Ceremony of Sydney's Olympics, the first Games of the new millennium.
Now the first gold medal is up for grabs. After all the years of preparation and planning, all the controversies about bands and tickets and swimsuits and torches, the athletes have the stage at last.
And on this first day of competition in a new era for the Olympics, it is fitting that the athletes are all women and their event has never before been contested at the Games.
It is the triathlon - a 1.5 kilometre swim, followed immediately by a 40 km bicycle ride and 10 km run. The course is on Sydney Harbour, winding around landmarks like the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Opera House.
Along most of the route, spectators will be able to watch the athletes for free. And they will be there in their thousands. Why? Because the race signifies that, after all the years of build-up, the real thing has arrived; because the event combines three sports in which Australians have traditionally excelled: swimming, riding, and running.
And because Australia expects to begin the Games among the medals. Six of the world's top 10 women triathletes are Australians. They also dominate rankings in the men's event, which will be held on the second day of the Games.
In a nation with a history much briefer than any other host country, an event that has been contested for only 27 years (compared to thousands of years for the other debutante Olympic event, taekwando) will provide the firstmedals.
For Australia, it could well be a golden beginning to the Games it has been awaiting for over three decades.
Professional Management Group
Horsemen and women from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales are paying the costs of bringing their horses to Sydney - estimated by one rider to be in the "thousands of dollars". "Most of it's off our own bat, I can tell you - but that's the sacrifice we have to make," he said.
The riders have signed confidentiality agreements about their involvement in the ceremony. They have attended training camps supervised by opening ceremony supreme Ric Birch, which were also attended by officers of the NSW Mounted Police.
One rider said the horses would parade around the stadium in formation, in time to music. Stockhorses will also be putting on displays during breaks between the equestrian events at the Olympic equestrian venue.
Polocrosse matches will be staged, along with mock musters. A total of 34 stock horses, worth up to $1 million each, are involved in the event, andowners are paying up to $6000 to bring each horse to Sydney.
The display horses must spend two weeks in quarantine to prevent them infecting any of the elite competition horse. Let the Games begin!
This is how it begins. It is the morning after the Opening Ceremony of Sydney's Olympics, the first Games of the new millennium.
Now the first gold medal is up for grabs. After all the years of preparation and planning, all the controversies about bands and tickets and swimsuits and torches, the athletes have the stage at last.
And on this first day of competition in a new era for the Olympics, it is fitting that the athletes are all women and their event has never before been contested at the Games.
It is the triathlon - a 1.5 kilometre swim, followed immediately by a 40 km bicycle ride and 10 km run. The course is on Sydney Harbour, winding around landmarks like the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Opera House.
Along most of the route, spectators will be able to watch the athletes for free. And they will be there in their thousands. Why? Because the race signifies that, after all the years of build-up, the real thing has arrived; because the event combines three sports in which Australians have traditionally excelled: swimming, riding, and running.
And because Australia expects to begin the Games among the medals. Six of the world's top 10 women triathletes are Australians. They also dominate rankings in the men's event, which will be held on the second day of the Games.
In a nation with a history much briefer than any other host country, an event that has been contested for only 27 years (compared to thousands of years for the other debutante Olympic event, taekwando) will provide the firstmedals.
For Australia, it could well be a golden beginning to the Games it has been awaiting for over three decades.
Professional Management Group
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