Organizers of the equestrian events for the 2008 Summer Olympics will select their first batch of volunteers next week from more than 7,000 hopefuls.

Some 100 leader-volunteers will initially be chosen for the Hong Kong-based events, with the unsuccessful applicants invited to reapply for general volunteer positions, according to organizers, The Equestrian Company.

A total of 1,800 people will be chosen as volunteers at the equestrian events, working in areas including translation, medical care, public relations, said The Equestrian Company’s Alexia Chan.

After Beijing won the bid to host the 2008 Games, it received permission to move the equestrian events to Hong Kong because of concerns about equine diseases on the mainland. Hong Kong has a horse racing tradition and experience working with the animals