Not just the human athletes are flying into Brazil for Rio 2016. The first Olympic horses touched down at Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport after a near-12 hour flight from London (GBR).
The 34 horses arrived on a cargo plane. It was a specially designed Emirates Boeing SkyCargo 777-F. Vets were also on board to ensure the health of the four-legged cargo.
Nathan Anthony, one of the six vets that flew with the horses, explained: “Flying is actually easier than going by truck. The only slightly difficult bit is the take-off, after that there are no bumps in the air! And we had a great captain on board who made the landing nice and smooth, and then the transfer to the Olympic stables with a police escort was really easy.”
Afther they had arrived in Rio in the early hours of the morning, the horses were driven in specially kitted out trucks, complete with a full Federal highway police escort to the stables at the Olympic Equestrian Centre.
This in-bound flight was the first of nine transporting horses from Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Japan, Italy and China to the Olimpic Games. And over the next couple of weeks, more than 200 horses from 43 nations will arrive in Deodoro.
