15 May 2014 marked a symbolic date with 100 days to go before the start of the Games in Normandy. To celebrate, the Organising Committee, the FEI, and French artist Christophe Dumont carved a unique piece of sand art on the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel - one of the iconic and renowned locations in Normandy, which will host the Endurance race on Thursday 28 August. French artist Christophe Dumont created a spectacular piece of sand art featuring a giant, 2.3 by 2.5 metre horse’s hoof prints in a huge ‘100’ on the famous Normandy beach. The artist and a team of 20 people battled against time and tide to produce the unique piece of artwork, so that it could be captured on camera before the waves washed it away.
FEI President HRH Princess Haya was really impressed by this unique art work and stated, “The giant hoof prints on the beach at the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel are a beautiful way to mark the 100-day countdown to the start of the Games, as it captures the free spirit of our wonderful partner, the horse. And everyone who rides horses knows that we spend a lot of time training in circles! The world’s best horses and riders will be going for gold in Normandy so we can expect absolutely top sport. We are looking forward to these being the best Games yet."
A real challenge, but Fabien Grobon, CEO of the Normandy 2014 Organising Committee, remains very confident, “Normandy has a long-standing association with the horse and equestrianism, which is something we’re very proud of. We’re putting everything in place to welcome thousands of athletes, horses and spectators, and we’re getting ready to host an amazing celebration that we will never forget.”
For more news on the progress of organising the Games, see >> http://tinyurl.com/ndu4o8s
Photo © Comité d'Organisation Normandie 2014
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