Equestrian Australia High Performance Weekly Update – 28th September, 2020

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to shape our activities and movements some of our domestic athletes are preparing for a greatly anticipated return to competition following months of restricted outings. Globally our High Performance Squad athletes remain engaged with the Program as they focus on their individual performance plans, participation in FEI competition and their Tokyo 2020 preparation.

Last week our High Performance Eventing NEXT Squad riders participated in an interactive virtual workshop with Rosie Stanimirovic who leads the Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) ‘Gold Medal Ready’ Program. The AIS launched ‘Gold Medal Ready’ in partnership with the Australian Army in late 2018 to assist Australian athletes to deliver their best performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games and beyond.

Rosie spoke to our athletes about the program and some of the elements required for athletes to perform to the best of their ability when it counts most, and discussed some of the techniques that can be used to perform with stress and pressure in competition. Our Eventing NEXT Squad riders have also been given the unique opportunity to register for ‘Gold Medal Ready Online’ where they can gain access to educational content and can learn about mental performance from some of Australia’s best and most successful athletes. 

Last Friday the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee announced they had agreed on a series of measures to make the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 fit for a post-corona world. Developed in response to the postponement of this year’s Games due to the coronavirus pandemic, over 50 measures have been designed to maximise cost savings and increase efficiencies in Games delivery. Examples of the initial measures include the reduction of stakeholder personnel attending the Games, streamlining transport services, adjusting spectator activities at competition venues and hosting a number of pre-Games meetings online. To view the full press release from the IOC please visit: https://www.equestrian.org.au/news/ioc-and-tokyo-2020-agree-measures-deliver-games-fit-post-corona-world

A detailed and measured approach has been crucial to the revision of our logistics and operational planning ahead of the postponed Games next year. This process has been undertaken in close consultation with the FEI, Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Paralympics Australia (PA) to ensure all necessary measures are taken to protect the health and safety of our athletes, horses and support staff. Looking ahead to a postponed Games we remain unwavering in our commitment to our identified athletes and continue to ensure they are supported in their training and Games preparation throughout these uncertain times. 

Additionally, due to the disruption caused by Covid-19 the Tokyo 2020 Nomination Criteria for all equestrian disciplines is required to be reviewed by the AOC and PA prior to being re-released to our athletes and stakeholders, these policies currently remain under review by the AOC and PA and we are hopeful these will be available shortly.

As always the health and safety of our people and horses remain our highest priority as we work together as a united high-performance community to navigate these unprecedented times.  

We thank you all for your understanding and continued support and please feel free to contact the High Performance team directly if you have any questions or queries.