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CHINA

Germany takes equestrian lead amid spills and surprises

A determined German assault and a tough cross-country course on Monday helped turn the tables on the confident Australians in the three-day event of the Olympic equestrian competition.

Germany takes equestrian lead amid spills and surprises
Photo: DPA

The five-man German team moved into top spot over the Australians after a day of thrills, spills and surprises that saw one medal hopeful crash out and the field left wide open going into the final component of the competition. The strong showing by the Germans also saw two of the team move to first and second in the individual rankings.

Hinrich Romeike, riding Marius, was number one, on 50.20 penalty points, with teammate Ingrid Klimke, who rode Abraxxas, behind him on 50.70. Klimke said the course – the shortest in Olympic history at 4,560 metres with an optimum time of eight minutes – had proved the challenge she’d expected.

“I wished it was longer than eight minutes because it went so quickly,” she said after completing the 39 jumps at the Beas River course in eight minutes 43 seconds, with 17.20 time penalties added on.

“I wished to go again because it was so much fun,” she said.

That can-do attitude suffused the German team, riding high on 158.10 points after knocking the Australians into second on 162.00. None of the riders completed the course in eight minutes. Australia’s Shane Rose was fastest round in 8 minutes 23 seconds, with 9.20 time penalties added.

Australians Megan Jones, on Irish Jester, and Clayton Fredericks, on Ben Along Time, were in third and fourth place respectively in the individual rankings. But Lucinda Fredericks, wife of Clayton, was bumped down to eleventh place after leading the field following Sunday’s dressage event.

Great Britain’s team was in third place on 173.70 points after the cross country, with May King on Call Again Cavalier fifth in the individual rankings on 56.10. The three-and-a-half-hour event took place in unrelenting drizzle in the New Territories near Hong Kong’s northern border with China.

Many fences were designed to incorporate Chinese characteristics, and included a Great Wall, chopsticks, a traditional courtyard house, and a pagoda and birdcages, both of which seemed to pose the greatest problems.

A thick underlay of sand aimed to absorb the innate moisture of the terrain – seconded from a golf course for the Olympics – and ensured the course, while presenting a physical and mental challenge, was as safe as possible.

As it was, eight riders were eliminated, but no injuries were sustained by horse or rider.

The biggest upset was US medal hope Amy Tryon, riding Poggio II – with whom she won individual bronze at the World Equestrian Games in 2006. They fell at the birdcages.

New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson, aboard Lord Killinghurst, was another upset elimination, along with the inexperienced local favourite Alex Hua Tian of China, Igor Atrohov of Russia, Jaroslav Hatla of the Czech Republic and Sergio Iturriaga of Chile.

CHINA

China derides Copenhagen democracy meet as ‘political farce’

China on Tuesday blasted a democracy conference in Copenhagen attended by Taiwan's president and a Hong Kong activist alongside Danish government officials this week, qualifying it a "political farce".

China derides Copenhagen democracy meet as 'political farce'
Demonstrators gathered outside the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday. Photo: Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix

The Copenhagen Democracy Summit was held Monday and Tuesday in the Danish capital and organised by the Alliance of Democracies, an organisation targeted by Beijing sanctions in March and founded by former NATO boss Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

In addition to Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod also participated in the forum by video link, which Beijing said violated “the one-China principle.”

“This summit is a political farce,” the Chinese embassy in Denmark wrote in a statement published on Tuesday. “Inviting those who advocate Taiwan and Hong Kong ‘independence’ to the meeting violates the one-China principle and interferes in China’s internal affairs,” it said.

“Some hypocritical western politicians are good at meddling in other countries’ internal affairs and creating divisions and confrontation in the name of ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’. They are bound to fail,” it added.

At the conference on Monday, Kofod said it was “deplorable” that Beijing had imposed sanctions on 10 European individuals and organisations in response to EU sanctions on Xinjiang officials over their actions against the Uyghur Muslim minority.

Like most countries, Denmark applies the one-China principle — under which Beijing bars other countries from having simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taipei — though it does maintain relations with Taiwan.

Cut off politically from the rest of China since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the territory is self-governing but is not recognised by
the United Nations.

Beijing considers Taiwan a rebel province that will one day return under its control, by force if necessary.

China’s sabre-rattling has increased considerably over the past year, with fighter jets and nuclear-capable bombers breaching Taiwan’s air defence zone on a near-daily basis.

“Our government is fully aware of the threats to regional security, and is actively enhancing our national defence capabilities to protect our
democracy,” Tsai told the conference in a video address on Monday. US President Joe Biden is expected to present his China strategy soon, as
calls mount for him to publicly commit to defending Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack.

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