Classic Eventing Nation

Team Order Announced for Tokyo’s Eventing Extravaganza

By on Jul 28, 2021 7:45 am -

The golden boys: Ireland’s Sam Watson puts Tullabeg Flamenco through his paces. Photo by Sally Spickard.

With just over twelve hours to go before the first horse inspection, we’ve been treated to our first look at how this week’s competition could play out for our teams out in Tokyo with the release of the drawn order of nations. The 15 teams will compete in the following order:

  • Thailand
  • Great Britain
  • United States of America
  • Switzerland
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • China
  • Poland
  • Sweden
  • France
  • Italy
  • Ireland
  • New Zealand
  • Germany
  • Brazil

Each team will send riders out in groups – that is, one rider from each team will come forward first in a team trailblazer role, and then we’ll cycle through the second batch and finally the third ‘anchor’ riders. Individual competitors will be sprinkled throughout this order of go.

There are, of course, benefits and drawbacks to certain draw positions. We’re looking at early and late draws for the two teams likeliest to battle it out for the gold medal: Great Britain will send a rider out in second draw, while Germany holds down the fort in the second-to-last draw position. Going early can give teams the chance to set a formidable pace and put pressure on later combinations; equally, teams drawn early will have less information to work from about how the cross-country course is riding on Sunday. Then, there are tactics to be considered within the team: the roles of the team trailblazer and anchor are quite different, with one sent out to fact-find on course and the other required to save the day with top-tier performances. Of course, all three riders will be equally crucial in this new format, which sees us proceed sans drop score, so every ride matters.

We’ll have a better idea of how each team will be tackling their own rider order on Thursday, when we can expect dressage times to be released. For now, though, we’ve got the drawn order for the first horse inspection, which will take place at 9.30 a.m. Tokyo time on Thursday (1.30 a.m. BST/8.30 p.m. Wednesday Eastern time).

For now, we gather from the chef d’equipes that the rider order within the teams isn’t the confirmed ridden order – and, unfortunately, the jog itself won’t be live-streamed. We’ll be bringing you live updates on Twitter and Instagram throughout, plus a full gallery, report, and extra content as soon as it wraps.

Go Eventing, and Go Tokyo!

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Wednesday News & Notes from Haygain

By on Jul 28, 2021 5:54 am -

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve fallen totally and utterly head over heels for Charlotte Dujardin‘s Gio, or ‘Pumpkin’, as he’s known to his pals. He’s so small! So orange! Such a little try-hard! And at only ten years old, he’ll likely be around to add a bit of pony power to the world stages of dressage for a long time to come. I hope Charlotte always lets him hang his medals off his teensy-weensy earsies. (Mind you, we must give a big nod to Charlotte herself, here – she won her fifth Olympic medal yesterday, putting her on equal footing with Dame Kathleen Grainger as the most decorated British female Olympian of all time!)

Yesterday in Tokyo:

U.S. Weekend Preview

Coconino Summer H.T.: [Website] [Live Scores and Times]

Hunt Club Farms H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Live Scores]

Catalpa Corner Charity H.T.: [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]

Olney Farm H.T: [Website] [Entry Status/Live Scores]

Wednesday Reading List:

Burghley’s longtime director Liz Inman is stepping down after 16 years in the role and four decades working at the event.

Need a bit more inspiration from the dressage ring? Rebecca Langwost-Barlow has exactly what you need, after coming back from a nearly career-ending fall and a long pandemic to win at Grand Prix. 

Lusitanos are having their moment in the sun after capturing hearts during the dressage. Find out more about the progression of the breed – and ogle some gorgeous photos – here. 

Bit of an equine nutrition buff? Then you’ll be keen to find out more about new research that suggests that we’re not taking fermentation into account when planning our horses’ meals.

Want to get all of the latest Olympic eventing news in your inbox? Sign up for our free Olympic Digest newsletter, sent each Monday and then daily beginning July 28. Upon sign-up, you’ll receive a welcome message containing links to any editions that were already released. You can view this week’s edition here and sign up here.

To steam or not to steam? That’s the question, and Haygain has a new case study on the effects and benefits of hay steaming in their latest blog.

Wednesday Video:

It’s time to catch up on day four’s highlights from the BBC!

Cross Country Island Life with Derek di Grazia

By on Jul 28, 2021 3:33 am -

Derek talks about the turn and burn happening at the Mt. Fuji Drop – fence 16. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Derek di Grazia has made approximately 16 trips to and from Japan over the course of the last five years as his vision of what we now see before us on Sea Forest Island came to life. Having racked up all those thousands of miles (we hope you’ve got a good travel points card, Derek), he now says it’s a thrill to see the course in the flesh. Unique in its location on an old landfill, Derek and course builder David Evans had their work carved out for them, as the area was filled with trees and had little to no terrain already in place. So after putting on their respective Bob the Builder hats, we now see before us a winding, flowing track that’s got enough undulation to keep us all on our toes and enough letter play at long routes to make anyone’s head spin.

First things first, let’s get the weather talk out of the way. In 2018, an Olympic Test Event was held here in Tokyo to test the logistics of the equestrian competition as well as the ground on Sea Forest Island. Since this was not an existing venue already, it was really anyone’s guess as to how well the project would work out. After testing over a 10-minute track in 2018, and after recommendations from veterinarians and officials, the decision was made to shorten the track to its new length of 4420 meters with an optimum time of 7 minutes, 45 seconds. This event falls during one of the hottest times of year – and boy, let me tell you, if it wasn’t for the persistent sea breeze we might have all roasted or melted, or some sort of combination of both. It’s hot, sticky and humid here, even at 8:30 in the morning when I arrived at the course.

These elements will make for some tough conditions come Sunday morning, so I think the best decision was made to start cross country at 7:45 a.m. to finish before noon. Now, we may also have some rain to contend with as well, as Tropical Storm Nepartak makes it way toward shore. Luckily, the latest forecasts have the storm mostly hitting north of us, though as of right now we’re looking at about a 60% chance of rain and storms on Sunday. Derek describes the soil on the track as a loamy mix, and he thinks that the ground will hold water well should we get the rain in the forecast.

The Mt. Fuji Water at fence 20. This water complex was the only one newly created for this event; the other water areas existed already. Photo by Sally Spickard.

The course for this weekend was built entirely from scratch. The island was home to many more trees than we see now as many were relocated to make way for the course. After this event, the plan is to turn Sea Forest Island into a park. Some of the jumps were built in England (and you’ll see many signature David Evans carvings scattered about – they’re true masterpieces and could go into an art museum all their own!), and there are MIM clips and frangible technology built onto nearly every question. We also saw a few of the new yellow MIM clips make an appearance on some corners – these clips are designed to break at “somewhere around half the pressure” compared to their red counterparts and will be used on corners and angled fences.

The massive design and building project involved grading the land, building up terrain to create more undulation; since this area is a landfill, the builders were unable to dig down into the earth to create terrain, meaning the only direction to go was up. The result? Plenty of terrain on an otherwise flat surface that should create a stiff challenge for these horses and riders – especially when combined with the weather and the tight time.

This photo doesn’t do the backdrop to the Picnic Table at fence 13, so just take my word for it: EPIC. Photo by Sally Spickard.

You’ll notice looking at the map that the track winds back into itself several times over (personally, I’d love to see the map of the 10-minute track as I’ve no idea where you’d make this longer!). Derek says he actually initially designed the 10-minute test track with some flexibility to shorten it, knowing there may be changes that needed to be made. I asked Derek about the final layout, as typically his signature is an open, flowing track rather than one rife with turns and twists. He’s quite clever though, as we all knew, and he’s built the questions so that many of the fences are what will turn the riders around, making them “not make the turns feel like turns”.

Indeed, you’ll see from the aerial view that nearly every turnabout is done with a question right in or very close to the apex. This will help riders gunning for the time, as we all know that a track that forces lots of changes of speed will only eat up the clock more. With the time being as tight as it is, a track that forced a lot of setting up and adjusting may have turned out to be rather disastrous, but Derek has been very clever with how he uses the turns to encourage the riders to continue to come forward rather than urging them to go their brakes.

Fence 12, the Harbour Turn, is another example of a fence that helps the riders turn back around. This question comes off of a fairly blind turn and a steep incline. Photo by Sally Spickard.

As for the time? Derek says he thinks we’ll see very few rounds clear inside the time – “maybe three or four”, to be exact. With six jumps coming in the first minute of work, there’s a lot to do early on and if you’re not up on your time off the bat, you’ll be chasing it the whole way around. Team USA chef d’equipe Erik Duvander echoed this sentiment, noting that riders will have to be very smart about the lines they choose – and take all the straight routes – to have a shot at coming home inside that optimum.

As is typically kosher for the Olympics, where we invariably see a wide range of riders with a wide range of experience levels, alternative options frequent the course. This is one of my favorite things that Derek noted during our walk: he designed the options to be as horse-friendly as possible. “A lot of the long routes are basically just outside lines all the way around,” he explained. “If you’ve gone to many events you’ll see a lot of times long routes will wind the horses around, and we didn’t want to do that here because with the hot weather, once you start winding horses around it makes them more tired. And it’s better to keep the horses going in the hot weather. So this is why again, in the thinking of the design, that we wanted to try to create the long routes that were going to be longer but we wanted to keep the horses going and not be turning them around in circles.”

Derek explains the Dragonfly Pond at fence 11. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Not to say the long routes are “easy”, though. As Erik noted, “you still have to jump all the big jumps” and even in the long routes there is much to do. Derek has simply given the riders a bit more time in between each fence to have time to organize themselves. What will be key here, though, is ensuring that each rider knows exactly what their options are. Derek’s done a bit of clever letter play here, creating the long and short routes with letters that will limit the options a rider has if things go against their plan. Each rider will need to know exactly what option they have, both if they plan to take a long route and also if they jump into a direct route and have trouble.

“I think with the Games, we have this new format with three people so I think it’s going to change how things are done and strategies,” Derek said when asked how the long routes might be utilized. “Riders will have to be very aware of what they can do. I think the long routes will be used. Especially the way the three person team is now I think it really depends on the strategy of the different teams and where they’re going to want to play it a little more safe and take a little bit more time. I think each team is going to have their own plan. Time is going to be quite a factor on the course, and so for the teams that think that they have a crack at a medal, to me I would think they’re going to be taking the straight routes initially because of the time, but then from there who knows.”

The track has several quite steep inclines built into it, which might serve a rider with a strong horse well early in the course but will more likely require that much more planning and management of energy, especially as they progress. Though this is a shorter track, it will most likely feel much more like a 10-minute run when factoring in the heat and humidity. There are several longer galloping stretches where you may be able to make up a second or two – notably one sweeping gallop turn after fence 6, a nice stretch complete with great views of the harbor if that’s your thing between fence 11 and 12 and another decent gallop stretch between fence 13 and 14 – but as I mentioned earlier with the first minute being so intense there really won’t be a lot of places where you can truly get caught up if you do get behind.

The view from Mt. Fuji – Derek says it’s about 1.80 – 1.90 meters. Don’t look down! Photo by Sally Spickard.

As we tick closer and closer to (finally) getting underway, Erik says things are getting quieter, more intense inside camp USA. This, he says, might be his favorite part – the narrowing of the focus. “For me, what I really enjoy is this sort of tail end of it when the focus narrows down,” he said. “The riders are feeling it as we’re getting closer now. It’s a narrowing of the focus and they’re shutting down everything else around them and they’re getting quieter.”

Erik says he’s spent time crafting individual plans with each rider, ensuring they each have a say in what the game plan is – “it’s a team effort,” he explained. He said the team is feeling confident after their initial walks around the track, and the sense is that they’re all ready to get the show on the road, so to speak. “I must say, in our camp the horses are going as well as they ever have and I’m very happy with our preparation,” he said.

I’ll get a better chance to catch up with Phillip, Boyd, Doug and Tamie tomorrow as the team will be holding a press conference. We’re fairly limited on how much contact we can have with the riders, but I must give a big shout to the US Equestrian press team as they’ve made things smooth and simple in terms of communications.

Just some more epic views. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Tomorrow we finally get underway with the first horse inspection at 9:30 a.m. JST. Unfortunately, I don’t believe the jog will be live streamed, but I’ll be keeping you up-to-date on Twitter/Instagram and will have a full jog report and Team USA catch-up for you all tomorrow! Thanks for following along with us – and major props to Tilly Berendt and the team at home for keeping things chugging along.

Go Eventing!

To view the course fence by fence, visit CrossCountryApp here. Below you’ll find an assortment of snaps taken during our walk today, including some epic views from various points around the track.

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Tuesday Video: Charlotte Dujardin Becomes a British Record-Holder

By on Jul 27, 2021 8:31 pm -

We made it to our first equestrian podium today, with the dressage teams fighting it out for podium positions ahead of tomorrow’s individual freestyle final. While Germany won the gold and the US took silver, it was Great Britain’s bronze medal that allowed a little bit of Olympic history to be written: in winning five medals, she ties with rower Dame Katherine Grainger as the most decorated female British Olympian of all time. And if she winds up on the podium after her freestyle performance? She’ll stand alone as the record-holder. Check out her test with ten-year-old Gio today and get excited for the nail-biting finale!

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#TheTeaFromTokyo: A Walk to Remember

By on Jul 27, 2021 7:58 pm -

It’s been a big day for the eventers in Tokyo, because they woke up early to the news that the cross-country course at Sea Forest was open for walking. And walk they did: round and round and round again, before many of them opted to dash back to the stables and pop over some of the cross-country training fences laid out there. Sounds like it gave them plenty to think about!

Our on-the-ground reporter, Sally, is out on her own walk now with course designer Derek di Grazia, and we’ll be bringing you lots of interesting insights into the course soon – but in the meantime, catch up with what went down with the riders today.

The USA’s Doug Payne took his first look at the course and found it similar to a track back home:

 Inspiration evidently struck while he was out and about, because he opted to head out for a cross-country schooling session on returning to the main venue:

The Belarusians made their way out to Sea Forest, too:

They also found time to celebrate competitor Alexandr Zelenko’s birthday:

Cathal Daniels could deliver us one of the quickest rounds of the weekend – but first, he had to check out all the spots where he and pocket rocket Rioghan Rua could shave off the seconds:

Lara de Liedekerke-Meier, Belgium’s individual competitor, got an early start to check out the challenge:

Team Thailand headed out with trainer Maxime Livio (on his birthday!):

And Sarah Ennis admired the themed carvings and decorations:

Brazil’s Carlos Parro knows a photo op spot when he sees one: 

The Aussies adopted a buddy system with suitably bright t-shirts to ensure they didn’t lose one another. No word on if they had to hold hands in pairs: 

Sweden’s Louise Romeike got inspired: 

Back at the main venue, Russia’s Andrey Mitin got stuck into some cross-country training: 

As did the sole Spanish competitor, Francisco Gavino Gonzalez and his horse Source de la Faye:

The Kiwis opted to practice their showjumping: 

It wasn’t just about cross-country today. Some riders also took the time to welcome the newly arrived show jumpers – and Great Britain’s Laura Collett couldn’t resist some snuggles with Ben Maher’s Explosion W:

Someone tipped the Aussies off that the Kiwis had nailed the Olympic rings photo, so they scurried off to get their own done. We’re glad Shane remembered to bring a bucket hat, at least:

Plenty of teams also took the time to acknowledge their super line-up of grooms, including the Brazilians:

And the Aussies:

And a legendary Lucinda sent lots of luck across the pond(s): 

The Kiwis, as usual, were too popular for their own good: 

Oh, and the first equestrian medals of the Games were awarded, of course!

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Today in Tokyo: Germany Takes Gold, U.S. Earns Silver in Dressage Team Competition

By on Jul 27, 2021 6:53 pm -

 

Compiled from FEI and US Equestrian press releases. 

The winning podium: Germany Gold, USA Silver and Great Britain Bronze. Photo by FEI/Christophe Taniere.

Tonight’s victory for Germany in the Dressage team event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will go down in the history books. For the last 27 years the country that has long been the cradle of classical horsemanship has been all but unbeatable at this level of the sport, and despite the disruption and confusion of the last 18 months right across the globe they reigned supreme once again ahead of Team USA in silver and Great Britain in bronze.

There were mixed reviews for the new team format which separates athletes into groups and reduces team numbers to three, with all scores to count. But there was no denying the increased intensity and excitement it created in tonight’s deciding Grand Prix Special. While the Germans came out clear champions, the battle for silver and bronze was a thriller to the very end.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera. Photo by FEI/Christophe Taniere.

And a new star was born. Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl stole the show with the new Olympic Grand Prix Special score of 84.666 with the mare Dalera, and team-mate Isabell Werth posted 83.298 with a beautiful performance from her beloved Bella Rose after Dorothee Schneider and Showtime set out the German stall when putting 80.086 on the board. However a relatively unknown American produced the third-best score of today’s super-hot competition that decided the fate of the team medals.

Sabine Schut-Kery and Sancero have rocketed on to the world stage.

Dorothee Schneider (GER) and Showtime FRH. Photo by FEI/EFE/Kai Försterling.

Set for silver

Great Britain looked set for silver in the early stages after Carl Hester and En Vogue posted 78.344, while it seemed Denmark and the USA were locked into a game of cat-and-mouse for the bronze. But the Americans couldn’t have been more rock solid, Adrienne Lyle’s 76.109 with Salvino giving them a firm basis on which to build before Steffen Peters and Sussenkasper backed that up with 77.766.

Cathrine Dufour and Bohemian were the last pair to go for Denmark, but 77.720 wouldn’t be enough to keep her country in the race, especially when America’s Schut-Kery followed with an incredible 81.596. That just knocked the Danes right out of contention and suddenly the British were under threat for their silver medal spot too. It would take a big score from Charlotte Dujardin and Gio to keep Britain out in front after Lottie Fry’s 76.894 with Everdale.

And although Dujardin’s inexperienced chestnut gelding did his best, his 79.544 just wouldn’t be enough.

Meanwhile last to go, von Bredow-Werndl strutted to a score of 84.666 to put the icing on the German cake. And that was despite a whoopsie in the one-tempis when her mare needed a toilet break. As von Bredow-Werndl said afterwards it was just another day at the office for the lovely, talented Dalera. “It didn’t feel difficult actually, for her it all seems to be easy!”

Team USA – silver medalists. Photo by FEI/EFE/Kai Försterling.

Team USA

Adrienne Lyle and Salvino received a 76.109 percent from the panel, while Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper, who rode in the second group, finished the competition with a 77.766, a personal best for the combination. Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo anchored the team and received a career-high 81.596 percent from the judges as one of the final rides of the evening.

Adrienne Lyle and Salvino. Photo by FEI.

Lyle (Wellington, Fla.) and Salvino, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion owned by Betsy Juliano LLC, were the trailblazers for the U.S. Dressage Team, riding early in the first group order. The pair executed a mistake-free test, giving momentum to the team for their second ride with Peters and Suppenkasper.

“I’m super thrilled. I was really hoping we could pull off a score like that for the team today. We were a little conservative in the Grand Prix, and it wasn’t our greatest display, so I wanted to come out here and push for a little bit more,” said Lyle. “Despite the heat and humidity, he was really a good boy and he delivered with no mistakes and that’s what you want for the team test.”

Steffen Peters (USA) and Suppenkasper. Photo by FEI/Christophe Taniere.

In the second grouping of combinations, Peters (San Diego, Calif.) and Suppenkasper, a 13-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farm, rode one of their best tests to date and earned a superb score, improving from their test on Sunday in the team qualifier competition.

“This is exactly what I wanted for my team. It’s one thing to ride individually, but when you pull a good score for your team it’s an incredible feeling. When we came out of the arena, I gave Mopsie a big hug and thanked him from the bottom of my heart,” said Peters. “We were seriously in the zone. When we were out there about to go in the ring, I said, ‘Mopsie, please just do what we just did out here in warm-up,’ and we had a good schooling this morning. He did that for me when it counted and it’s an incredible feeling when a horse will fight for you like that in the arena.”

Sabine Schut-Kery (USA) and Sanceo. Photo by FEI/Shannon Brinkman

As the anchor combination for the team, Schut-Kery (Napa, Calif.) and Sanceo, a 15-year-old Hanoverian stallion owned by Alice Womble, rounded out the team’s effort with another stellar performance and personal best. The duo, who made their presence known in their first outing on Saturday, returned with another strong performance for the U.S. Dressage Team, helping them to clinch their second-place finish.

“For me, this was my first time here at the Olympics, and it was quite intense to wait that long for the end of the class, but I am so proud of my horse, my team, my owners, and the coaches. It’s been a really, really great experience and I am still a bit speechless,” said Schut-Kery. “I was filled with joy and pride. It’s such a team effort. It’s a big relief to deliver for the whole team, not just my teammates, but everyone involved, and it just meant everything. It was just pure happiness.”

Steffen Peters (USA) and Suppenkasper. Photo by FEI/Christophe Taniere.

With team competition concluded, Chef d’Equipe Debbie McDonald discussed her team’s performance throughout the team competition, as she was overcome with emotion.

“I am just so proud of this team. This is truly the dream team,” said McDonald. “They each persevered and delivered when their team needed them most. I am so elated by their accomplishment tonight, and wow, what a moment to be remembered for this program. We’ll be back tomorrow and ready for our last competition of this journey, which I am so proud to be a part of, and I have to thank all of the amazing coaches, support staff, and owners, as this wouldn’t have been possible without their dedication and unwavering commitment to our athletes and their horses.”

Team Germany, gold medalists. Photo by FEI/Christophe Taniere.

Dominant

Germany’s Werth was asked about her expectations coming to Tokyo in light of the long and dominant German record at Olympic Games. “We are long enough in this sport to know that one horse can make a difference, and one situation can make a difference, especially when you are only three on a team and you have no reserve. We came with a lot of self-confidence because we knew if we bring our performance in the arena like we can then it would be really hard to beat us, but you never know. One bad day or a sick horse or after such a long trip everything is possible”, she replied.

That’s one more gold medal for the German superwoman who, as former Eventing star/turned commentator Lucinda Green pointed out on Sunday night, is wearing riding boots that been around a while and seen a lot of action….

“I’ve had them since 1991 and I’ve worn them at every Championship since then — they are my lucky boots!”, the German superstar admitted. That’s 30 years of service, with many golden moments along the way, and Lady Luckyboots may well be about to make more history.

Today brought her Olympic gold medal tally to seven, and if Werth can add one more in tomorrow’s much-anticipated Freestyle for the Individual title then she will match the German record set by rower, Birgit Fischer, who has won 8 gold and 4 silver Olympic medals during her sparkling career.

The Second Horse Inspection will take place at 10:30 a.m. JST/9:30 p.m. EDT and the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle for Individual Medals will begin at 5:30 p.m. JST/4:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 28. The order-of-go will be announced tomorrow morning. Official results can be found here.

 Facts and Figures:

Germany first won team gold at the Olympic Games in Amsterdam (NED) in 1928, with a three-man team of Carl Freiherr von Langen (Draufganger), Hermann Linkenbach (Gimpel) and Eugen Freiherr von Lotzbeck (Caracalla).

Germany were the defending champions coming to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and two of tonight’s winning team members were in the side that reigned supreme at the Rio 2016 Games -. Dorothee Schneider riding the same horse, Showtime and Isabell Werth riding her other great mare Weihegold.

 

 

Results here.

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Need-to-Knows: The Tokyo 2020 Eventing Line-Up At a Glance

By on Jul 27, 2021 6:38 pm -

When it comes to lengthy soliloquies to the competitors at major events, you know EN’s got you covered. But sometimes, you just need something quick and thorough to service all your needs – and fortunately for you, we’re no one-trick pony. We’ll be bringing you comprehensive form guides on both the teams and the individual competitors lining up at Tokyo this week, but first, we’ve broken down the field, with its 65 combinations, 15 teams, and 29 flags, into some delicious, easy-to-gobble bitesize factoids. Only got five minutes to spare on Olympic information-absorbing this evening? Use it wisely and have a skim through these golden nuggets.

(Editor’s note: We’ve included the substitute combinations in our calculations for these stats. They’re denoted by an asterisk (*) anytime they’re specifically named.)

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Belarusian Individual Pair Withdrawn from Tokyo

By on Jul 27, 2021 11:00 am -

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.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Website, Latest News, EN Olympic Digest Newsletter Signup, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Coverage, The Ultimate Guide to Tokyo

Want to stay in the know with all things Olympic eventing? We’re getting ready to kick off daily editions of our Olympic Digest starting Wednesday, July 28. You can sign up for free right here.

Keeping Cool in Tokyo: Countermeasures in Place for Equine Athletes

By on Jul 27, 2021 8:00 am -

Example of monitoring horses in work using thermal imaging cameras at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo © FEI.

Olympic Equestrian Dressage competitions are already well underway and, by tomorrow morning, all equine athletes will have settled into their temporary home at the historic Equestrian Park venue in Baji Koen, with the arrival of the final batch of Show Jumping horses. To allow our equine and human athletes to optimise their performance in the Tokyo climate, comprehensive heat and humidity protocols have been put in place by the FEI and the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic & Paralympic Games (TOCOG).

The FEI has been working on minimising the impact of heat and humidity on performance since before the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, and the work on Tokyo 2020 is a continuation of that.

Heat countermeasures in place onsite at both Equestrian venues for equine athletes:

  • Air-conditioned stables at both Baji Koen and Sea Forest Park (Cross Country venue)
  • Training and competitions scheduled for early morning and evening (under floodlights)
  • Constant monitoring of current and forecast climatic conditions, working with the official Tokyo 2020 weather provider, Japan Meteorological Agency
  • Constant monitoring of onsite climatic conditions using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index, which measures heat stress in direct sunlight, taking into account temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover (solar radiation) – every 15 minutes during the Cross Country
  • Constant and close monitoring of horses by a world-class veterinary team, multiple cooling facilities (shade tents, cold misting fans, unlimited ice and water, mobile cooling units etc)
  • Specific climate mitigation protocols for training and warm-up and also in-competition
  • Monitoring horses in work using thermal imaging cameras, enabling body temperature to be estimated accurately from a distance of 5-10 metres.
  • Allows for monitoring without interfering with athletes
  • Helps with early identification of horses at potential risk of overheating
  • Allows for timely interventions such as rapid cooling during training and warm-up and prior to competing
  • Possibility to stop a horse on the Cross Country course and bring mobile cooling units out to provide rapid cooling. (These mobile cooling units are also available for the arena-based competitions and in the warm-up arenas.)

Stable Manager Patrick Borg is proud of the onsite accommodation provided for the horses by the Baji Koen venue owners, the Japan Racing Association: “We can compare the stables in Tokyo with the Ritz in Paris. It’s five-star stabling for the horses. We try to do the very best for them.”

Baji Koen stables:

  • 333 stalls (4×3 metres)
  • Air-conditioning
  • Rubber matting throughout
  • Washing & drying machines
  • Unlimited supplies of ice and water

Heat countermeasures in place onsite at both Equestrian venues for humans:

  • Provision of shade, special cooling tents/areas (including cold misting fans) for athletes and entourage
  • Facilities and measures for officials/volunteers including rest periods, shade and rest areas, water etc

“We have ongoing and direct contact with the Weather Information Centre, which is constantly monitoring the weather specifically for the two Equestrian venues, providing us with detailed information that allows the onsite team to make informed decisions on whether there may be a need to delay or interrupt a competition”, FEI Veterinary Director Göran Akerström said. “If there is bad weather forecast then we receive hourly updates, and this can be more frequent if necessary.” 

Official weather data and forecasts (primarily WBGT readings) from the official Tokyo 2020 weather provider, Japan Meteorological Agency, form the basis of decision-making, combined with in-situ readings. In addition, onsite conditions are monitored multiple times a day by the FEI Climate Advisor David Marlin, in liaison with the FEI Veterinary Director, FEI Veterinary Commission, FEI Chief Steward and Tokyo 2020 Sport team.

To assist National Federations with optimal preparation for the Games, the FEI produced a series of educational Beat the Heat videos, aimed at optimising both human and equine performance in hot and humid conditions. Practical advice has been made available through the FEI Athlete hub, as well as on the dedicated Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic hub.

Alongside its own research, the FEI has made available to its community a number of important documents, including the IOC advice – Beat the Heat – for human athletes preparing for the Games. These are available on the Olympic Hub here and Paralympic Hub here (scroll down to the Medical, Veterinary & Climate Information sections).

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Website, Latest News, EN Olympic Digest Newsletter Signup, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Coverage, The Ultimate Guide to Tokyo

Want to stay in the know with all things Olympic eventing? We’re getting ready to kick off daily editions of our Olympic Digest starting Wednesday, July 28. You can sign up for free right here.

Where Can You Watch the Tokyo Olympics Worldwide? Your Live-Stream Guide

By on Jul 27, 2021 6:28 am -

We let Chinch watch the dressage, and now he won’t stop asking for an orange tailcoat.

No matter where you are in the world, your number one priority at the moment is likely figuring out how on earth to pin down some reliable coverage of the equestrian sports in Tokyo, rather than just highlights reels or a total channel-wide focus on cycling instead (we’re looking at you, BBC). Fortunately for us all, there are a number of on-demand streaming services that are providing full coverage to your sport of choice – so here’s how to tune in from around the world. (Oh, and no matter where you are, we recommend visiting The Olympic Channel to get the lowdown on some of the Games’ great sporting stories!)

Australia: 7plus has free live streaming and on-demand catch-up options in case you miss anything exciting.

USA: You can stream or rewatch all the Tokyo content your heart desires via the NBC website or app – but only if you have a cable provider login. If you don’t, you can download Peacock Premium ($4.99/month, with a seven day free trial) to access replays and highlights for every sport, and live coverage of several sports (unfortunately not including equestrian). Fubo TV also offers a paid streaming service with a free trial period. You can also sign up to access NBC channels via Sling or YouTube TV, which are easy to use on your smart TV, Roku, or FireStick, but they’ll cost you a bit more – Sling is currently discounted to $10, while YouTube TV is on offer for $54.99/month, with a free trial period, but it does come with lots of cool features.

Canada: The best option is CBC, which has a pretty comprehensive roster of free coverage. Or, you can watch via SportsNet or TSN, both of which have options available for cable subscribers or streamers at $19.99/month each.

U.K. and Ireland: DiscoveryPlus is your best bet for on-demand and live coverage of all the sports, for the low price of £4.99 per month. You can also make use of a three-day free trial. The BBC’s red button service and iPlayer will have some coverage, but they’re limited in what they can show this year. Eurosport is another good option at a comparable price point to DiscoveryPlus.

Europe: It’s Eurosport again, with that cheap and cheerful streaming package.

New Zealand:  You can stream much of the Games for free on TVNZ, or for comprehensive coverage, watch via Sky Sport or its streaming service, Sky Sport Now, which costs $19.99 per week.

Want to access coverage from another country? Consider using a VPN, which effectively changes your country for browsing purposes. We’ve used ExpressVPN successfully – it comes with a free trial and you can also download it as an app, which makes it considerably more user-friendly if you’re not particularly techy.

Happy viewing!

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Website, Latest News, EN Olympic Digest Newsletter Signup, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Coverage, The Ultimate Guide to Tokyo

Want to stay in the know with all things Olympic eventing? We’re getting ready to kick off daily editions of our Olympic Digest starting Wednesday, July 28. You can sign up for free right here.