Photo by Leslie Wylie.
There’s a superstition in the theater that a bad dress rehearsal will equal a good opening night. Hopefully the saying doesn’t hold true for the Olympic eventing dress rehearsal just concluded in Deodoro, which offered a promising preview of what’s in store for next year’s Games.
The Test Is Complete
As we noted earlier this week, reviews of the venue from riders and team delegates in attendance at the Aquece Rio Olympic Test Event were largely positive. It appeared that no stone was being left unturned in ensuring that everyone will be as prepared as possible for the real deal next year.
From a enactment of the medals ceremony…
Aquece Rio Olympic Test Event top three finishers Marcio Jorge (1), Marcio Appel (2) and Marcelo Tosi (3). Photo by Leslie Wylie.
…to dry runs of emergency procedures…
Don’t worry — there’s no horse in there. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
…and biohazard protocol…
Venue visitors were required to step in disinfectant and use hand sanitizer upon entry. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
…various aspects of the Games were rigorously tested to ensure that when August rolls around next year, nothing is left to chance.
Of course, as we’ve emphasized before, there’s a big difference between a modestly attended 18-horse CIC2* and an international championship with tens of thousands of spectators. And some logical concerns, such as spectator transport to and from the event, are largely out of the venue’s hands. But for being a year out, the system they had going seemed surprisingly organized and effective.
Following cross-country we talked to several riders and national delegates about their impressions of the event and the venue. Remarks from organizers seemed to echo their sentiments, emphasizing that while the Test Event garnered a largely positive response there is still room to raise the bar.
A sampling of their comments:
“We are very happy with the test event. It’s an excellent tool to put the team together and it’s where you start to build up the team through integration of the different parties – sport, government and the organizing committee. It’s why we do a test event, so that we can correct things and make sure everybody understands everything for next year, and Rio has delivered on that.” — IOC Director Gilbert Felli
“We’ve seen great progress with infrastructure completed in time for the test event and an efficient competition delivered. However there is still a lot of work to do to scale the venue up for next year and to ensure the standard of facilities, services and general experience for our human and equine athlete is of a true Olympic standard in 2016.” — Tim Hadaway, FEI Director, Games & Championships
“Overall, I’m very pleased with the results of the equestrian test event. It culminates many months of hard work and preparation. More importantly, it gives us a very clear idea what areas require improvement in order to deliver the Olympic and Paralympic competitions next year.” — Mike Laleune, General Manager of the Deodoro Olympic Park
“I’m very happy with how the test event went, and I want to say a big thank you to my team who worked so hard to produce the results we had here this week, and to the volunteers that helped us so much. But we have a lot of work still to do to achieve the standard we need for the Games. The best athletes in the world will be here next year, so we need to have the best facilities for them and for their horses, so that they can produce the best results.” — Ataide Pereira, Olympic Equestrian Centre Sports Manager at the Olympic Equestrian Centre
A Look Around the Show Jumping Venue
Sunday’s show jumping finale, like dressage, was held in the main arena. While the grandstand was more than sufficient for the Test Event, I expect that additional temporary bleachers will be erected around the arena to handle next year’s crowd, similar to the arena setup at Le Pin National Stud during the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy.
I snapped some panoramic shots to give you an idea of the layout:
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
At the 2012 Olympic Test Event in London, the arena footing came under fire from riders and officials and had to be replaced entirely before the Games. Since then special care has gone into ensuring that Rio’s footing is up to snuff. The consensus among the riders I talked to was that, not unlike the new cross-country turf, it was off to a good start and should be even better after a year of settling in.
Lars Roepstorff, the FEI appointed footing analyst and researcher, was at this week’s event to conduct testing of the surface.
“The material and installation definitely has the potential to provide excellent footing for next year’s Olympic Games,” he says, “but it is vital that the correct maintenance is done over the next 12 months, right up to and during the Games. Everything is in place for excellent Olympic competition next year and as it’s a pre-existing equestrian facility, all our athletes – human and equine – will be really well looked after.”
Olympic show jumps tend to be works of art in and of themselves, usually reflecting the identity and landmarks of the host city. It was exciting to get a preview of what we can expect for 2016 at the Test Event:
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Final Aquece Rio CIC2* Results
Cross-country leader Marcio Jorge, riding his grey Brazilian-bred gelding Coronel MCJ, topped the field of 18 starters. The horse, who won his first CIC3* at Colina SP earlier this year, showed a lot of class over the course; the pair went in with a very generous four rails in hand but used none of them, laying down one of the day’s four double-clear trips to finish on a score of 44.50.
Marcelo’s goal now is to ready the horse for Rio next year. “Now we will compete in a four-star event for the Olympic Games,” he explains. “I have some plans to do some competitions in Europe with him and my other two horses.”
Marcio Jorge and Coronel MCJ. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Marcio Jorge and Coronel MCJ. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
At the press conference following his win Marcelo gave the Olympic Test Event a positive review. “The competition was very good,” he said. “I liked the stables; they were very suitable. We’ve also got a very beautiful course for the cross-country test. The course designer (Pierre Michelet) has done a very good job.”
Marcelo Tosi and Glenfly, who were second after cross-country, crashed around the course a bit, taking down five rails to finish third.
“My horse did not jump well today,” he said. “I have a new trainer for show jumping and I will be working on this after today. Jumping is always harder for this horse, always. Some days he can jump well and clear but today it was not the right day.”
Marcio Appel moved into second place riding Cross Rock on a four-fault round. He’s aiming at a spot on Brazil’s Olympic squad and said of the program, “We have a real shot at an Olympic medal. Since the last Olympic Games, we’ve been training really hard and a lot of investment has gone into the team.”
Marcio Appel and Cross Rock. Photo by Leslie Wylie.
Aiken-based eventer Nilson da Silva, whom we interviewed after dressage, is another Olympic hopeful and finished fifth on his catch ride Tiger Lu.
Complete results:
Go Eventing.
