Thousands of equestrian fans are going to descend upon Greenwich Park in south-east London to watch the Paralympics, starting on Thursday 30 August.
But are you prepared for your visit?
Forget the picnic hamper, dog, Pimm’s and waterproof rug you’d pack for Burghley. Greenwich will not be like any other top equestrisn event.
Olympic visitors are advised to bring “as little as possible” with them, due to security checks, similar to those at airports – including no liquids in containers of more than 100ml.
There are no storage facilities so if you bring a prohibited item, it will be taken away and you won’t get it back.
You’ll also have to queue – so arrive early.
“It’s very simple – imagine you are going on an international flight,” said a spokesman for LOCOG, the London organising committee.
And be nice to both the soldiers dragged into service because security firm G4S failed to meet its obligations, and those G4S staff who have turned up!
What you can bring
- One medium-sized soft-sided rucksack or handbag that can fit under your seat or in your lap
- An empty plastic water bottle to fill up within the venue
- Food that can fit in your bag
- A Visa card and cash – no other forms of payment will be accepted
What you can’t bring
- Liquids or aerosols in containers over 100ml
- Dogs
- Alcohol
- Flags or banners bigger than 1x2m
- Oversized hats
- Large golf-style umbrellas
- Folding chairs
- “Excessive amounts” of food
- Balls or Frisbees
- Airhorns, drums, whistles, vuvuzelas or hunting horns
- Photographic equipment, other than a small camera. No tripods over 30cm long
- And various obvious items likes guns, knives or spray paint
And don’t forget . . .
- Our Paralympics preview from 23 August magazine
- Sweets/throat lozengers (in case your cheer yourself hoarse!)
- Lightweight waterproof coat (but you don’t need us to tell you that)
- Small camera, so you can share your best shots on the H&H Facebook page or email them to hholympicpics@ipcmedia.com
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (26 July 2012)
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