With hard work, diligence, and a good deal of luck, the 2011 Pan American Games were a success in Guadalajara. Between issues with medication import restrictions, potential disease quarantine problems leading up to the games, horses kicking in the packed jog area before the first horse inspection, the occasional ridiculously dangerous cross-country ride, and the always present protection by guards armed with assault rifles, the Guadalajara Games always felt slightly on the verge of chaos. It’s time to live and learn and look forward to what I would imagine are going to be a much calmer 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.
Along those lines, Eventing Nation has acquired a group of documents related to the discussions that will take place regarding potential changes to the qualification criteria and field of play rules at future Pan American Games. The first is a letter to the EC High Performance Committee from Equine Canada CEO Akaash Maharaj, who I respect as a defender of the democratic process in a sometimes less than democratic FEI governance system. The second is a list of proposals to the Pan American qualifying and competition rules. The eventing suggestions include keeping the 2* level, reducing the teams to 4 per nation, making only one qualifying space for the Olympics (down from 2), and increasing the minimum eligibility results. By far the most changes are proposed to jumping.
Of course, there’s no telling whether all, some, or any of these changes will be actually instituted, but the documents are an interesting look into the rule change process and the Pan American Games moving forward. It’s not quite the same as a video break, but…happy reading:
Go eventing.
