Alexandr Fominov and Martini. Photo courtesy of the Belarus Equestrian Federation.
The Tokyo field has thinned by one after Belarus individual competitors Alexandr Fominov and Martini were withdrawn from the entry list due to an undisclosed veterinary issue. The problem was spotted by inspecting veterinarians in the Tokyo stables after the horse arrived from pre-export quarantine in Aachen, Germany.
“The Belarusian Federation is sorry to announce that only one Belarusian couple will participate in the Tokyo Olympics in the eventing: Alexandr Zelenko and Carlo Grande,” said the Federation in a statement released this morning (July 27). ” The second Olympic athlete Alexandr Fominov has to abandon this main start of the four year cycle due to his horse’s poor well-being to continue maintaining his health.”
While Martini is in the safe hands of Tokyo’s veterinary team, who are administering the necessary care and treatment for the horse, Belarusian eyes turn to Alexandr Zelenko and Carlo Grande JR to represent their country in the eventing competition, which begins on Thursday, 29 July with the first horse inspection.
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