The Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong, where some of the equestrian events of the 2008 Olympics will be held.

The International Olympic Committee has decided to hold all six equestrian events of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Hong Kong, after veterinarians raised concerns about equine diseases in mainland China. That decision is expected to bring throngs of horse lovers to Hong Kong, mainly from North America, Europe and Australia.

Dressage and jumping, as well as all of the medal ceremonies, are to be held in Sha Tin, a community six miles north of the tip of Kowloon Peninsula, which in turn is a mile across Victoria Harbor from Hong Kong Island. A cross-country course, to be used as part of “eventing,” a competition that encompasses jumping, dressage and cross country, will be set up at a pair of country clubs in Sheung Shui. The country clubs are another 10 miles northeast of Sha Tin, still in Hong Kong’s territory but close to the border with mainland China.

Shifting part of the Summer Olympics 1,240 miles south from Beijing has addressed veterinary concerns because Hong Kong is free of equine diseases and also has one of Asia’s top equine hospitals in case a horse is injured. But the location of the events has raised other worries: weather, mosquitoes and some complicated travel logistics for international Olympics viewers.

Hong Kong is slightly closer to the equator than Havana, and the surrounding tropical sea can create extremely high humidity. A 10-minute walk at midday can leave a pedestrian feeling like a poached egg.

Journalists attending a warm-up event for the Olympics last August were warned to bring mosquito repellent before visiting the cross-country course, located in a wooded area. “Experience suggests we will be covered with mosquito bites, big ones,” said Wan Wai-yee, the competition manager for the Olympic equestrian events next year. But most of Hong Kong, including the venue for dressage and jumping, has few mosquitoes except in May and June. The territory does not have mosquito-borne diseases like malaria or dengue fever.

August brings plenty of thunderstorms and is the middle of typhoon season. The Sha Tin field for the Olympic jumping and dressage events has been overhauled with an extensive drainage system designed to remove, in just one hour, the water that would fall during a once-in-a-century downpour.

Typhoon winds could force a brief closing of the Olympic venues. But most typhoons blow through in a day or two. So the events have been scheduled from Aug. 9 to 19, and Aug. 21, with Aug. 20 being a rest day. There is a contingency plan to hold any postponed activities on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23, said Lam Woon-kwong, the chief executive of the government-owned company organizing the Olympic events in Hong Kong.

The location of the events in Sha Tin and Sheung Shui, and security restrictions on travel to them, will also pose some travel dilemmas for visitors.

Sha Tin has just three hotels with the facilities and English-speaking staffs that international travelers are likely to expect, while Sheung Shui has no such hotels. One of the three hotels in Sha Tin is a long-stay hotel that is not available for visitors, while the second is being converted into part of the Olympic Village here. The third, the four-star Regal Riverside Hotel (852-2649-7878; www.regalriverside.com) will set aside half of its 858 rooms for Olympic officials and media and the rest for visitors. Prices for a standard room during the Olympics will start at 2,000 Hong Kong dollars, or about 3 at 7.9 Hong Kong dollars to the U.S. dollar, with a minimum stay of five nights. (Internet reservations are not accepted for the Olympics; Hong Kong hotels also add on 13 percent for taxes and service.)

Given the hotel’s size and the limited rooms available, most visitors will have to stay elsewhere. Choosing the right place to stay will be crucial, and hotels are already filling up. The police plan to shut down all private vehicle traffic anywhere near the Sha Tin location and limit traffic to the country clubs during the Olympics, partly for security reasons and partly to avoid traffic jams.

Visitors will be expected instead to ride a commuter train that leaves every three to eight minutes from East Tsim Sha Tsui train station in Kowloon and runs up to the border with mainland China. The good news is that the trip to Sha Tin takes 15 minutes and the trains run like clockwork; the journey to Sheung Shui takes another 23 minutes beyond Sha Tin on the same train. The one-way fare from East Tsim Sha Tsui to Sha Tin is only 8 Hong Kong dollars in coach and 16 dollars in first class; the one-way fare to Sheung Shui is 11.50 dollars in coach and 23 dollars in first class.

Many of Hong Kong’s best-known hotels are located on Hong Kong Island, across the harbor from East Tsim Sha Tsui. These include the Four Seasons, JW Marriott, Conrad, Island Shangri-la and Grand Hyatt, all of which are elegant but less convenient for the Olympics. Guests at these hotels have three transportation options: ride the Star Ferry across the harbor and walk 10 minutes in the heat to East Tsim Sha Tsui train station; catch a taxi through one of the frequently congested tunnels under the harbor; or take the subway under the harbor to Tsim Sha Tsui subway stop, then walk about five minutes through air-conditioned tunnels to the East Tsim Sha Tsui train station.

More practical for the Olympics will be the luxury hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui itself, all within a five-minute walk of the train station. The Intercontinental Hong Kong (852-2721-1211; www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com) is right on the waterfront and has arguably the best view of any hotel in Hong Kong. The rate for a standard room, without a harbor view, during the Olympics will be 4,500 Hong Kong dollars.

Intercontinental Grand Stanford (852-2721-5161; www.hongkong.intercontinental.com) is nearby and has decent views from some rooms but is less sumptuous. It plans to charge 1,600 Hong Kong dollars for standard rooms during the Olympics.

The Peninsula Hotel (852-2920-2888; hongkong.peninsula.com) is taking reservations for the Olympics and is charging 3,900 Hong Kong dollars for a standard room. It is Hong Kong’s most famous hotel, serving an elegant tea in the lobby. The Langham Hotel Hong Kong (852-2375-1133; hongkong.langhamhotels.com) offers a New York-style deli and is a favorite choice for those who want an American ambience; the rate during the Olympics will be 2,050 Hong Kong dollars.

The Kowloon Shangri-la (852-2721-2111; www.shangri-la.com) has excellent views from harborside rooms but is already fully booked for the Olympics.

Tickets for the Hong Kong events can be purchased at China Travel Service (www.ctshk.com), the designated ticket agent for the Olympic Games in China, which will be held from Aug. 8 to 24. The customer service hotline in Hong Kong is (852) 2998-7888, but the company has offices around the world.