Buck Davidson and Kyle Carter have released the latest episode of their YouTube show addressing the proposed changes to the Olympic format of eventing. The timing is poignant, as the FEI Eventing Committee is meeting today to finalize the new changes that will go into effect for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The FEI Eventing Committee has proposed the following changes for the sport:
Three team riders: Each Olympic team would be made up of a maximum of three riders. Each team of three would be allowed one reserve combination.
No drop score: Teams would no longer have a drop score. All three scores from a team would count toward the final team score.
5-minute dressage: All dressage tests would be performed on one day by using a 5-minute test, which would shorten the entire dressage phase to a maximum of six hours for the 65 athletes competing.
Individual medals: The horses and riders placed below 20th after cross country would do their show jumping rounds first, followed by the 20 highest-placed combinations to determine the individual medals. This would also serve as the qualifier for the team finals.
Team finals: After individual show jumping medals are determined, the six to seven best teams (18-21 combinations) would then do their show jumping rounds for the team medals. The FEI is proposing to have “all three team members in the arena together, jumping one after another, so that a team result would be instantly available.”
Name change: The FEI Eventing Committee has proposed the hiring of a branding agency to evaluate changing the sport’s name to equestrian triathlon “in the effort of improving the understanding of the sport to new audiences.”
The International Event Riders Association spearheaded a meeting last week in London to bring together representatives from active eventing nations in an attempt to reach a united consensus on the proposed changes. Horse & Hound reported that FEI eventing chair Guiseppe Della Chiesa attended the meeting.
Now we wait for the news on eventing’s fate. In the meantime, you can watch Buck and Kyle’s latest episode and let us know what you think about the proposed changes of eventing. Will the sport soon be known as equestrian triathlon? Stay tuned to find out.
[Will Eventing Become ‘Equestrian Triathlon’ By 2020 Olympics?]
