Equestrian Australia High Performance Weekly Update – 19th April 2021

With less than 100 days until the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics we remain focussed on our preparation for the postponed Games, as well as fulfilling all additional requirements to ensure the welfare of our athletes and horses in the current Covid-19 environment. 

We also continue to maintain an open dialogue with all of our identified athletes, keeping them up-to-date regarding the latest developments in the lead up to the Games, ensuring they are not only well informed but also appropriately supported throughout the Games preparation period. We continue to collaborate closely with all relevant bodies regarding the health and wellbeing of our team, including keeping abreast of the latest Government updates relating to the availability of vaccinations and other Covid-19 protocols.

Competition is now back in full swing around the world with recently resumed FEI competition taking place throughout Europe and the United Kingdom over the weekend. This presented some of our athletes with a welcome opportunity to participate in international competition for the first time since the United Kingdom entered lockdown due to Covid-19 restrictions. Domestically, FEI competition also took place over the weekend in NSW at Wallaby Hill with the venue hosting CCI2/3/4*-S classes which attracted a large number of entries. The significant number of sub-30 dressage scores attained by our Australian based eventers in the CCI4*-S class was of particular note and a reflection of the caliber of riders we currently have campaigning ahead of Tokyo 2020 and the World Equestrian Games 2022.

This week we look forward to the CCI5*-L Land Rover Kentucky 3 Day Event which will be held in the United States from 22^nd – 25^th April. The event will be the first CCI5*-L competition to take place in 2021 and one of only six to take place globally for the year. Australia will be represented by six combinations, with one combination making the journey from the United Kingdom to take part, in the prestigious event. We wish our riders the very best of luck for the competition ahead.

The updated Tokyo 2020 Nomination Criteria for Eventing, Dressage, Jumping and Para-dressage was released last week. We worked closely with the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia to ensure the criteria was revised and amended to reflect the implementation of the FEI’s modified qualification and confirmation result requirements, as well as to take into account the evolving nature of Covid-19. As we approach team selection we remain available to our riders and stakeholders and will continue to diligently communicate all developments that may impact our athletes ahead of the Games. 

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