Alec Lochore gives a tour of the cross-country course at The Event at TerraNova CCI 4*-L, November 2023.
Photo by EQ Media.
The FEI has unanimously approved Great Britain’s Alec Lochore as cross country course designer for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 during its recent Board Meeting in Swizterland. All equestrian sports, including para equestrian, will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, just to the north of LA proper, from July 14-30, 2028. Fellow Brit Mike Etherington-Smith has been tapped as course advisor.
Alec brings a wealth of experience both as a designer as well as a person who’s been involved on the ground at the Olympics; he’s previously served as Eventing Manager for the London Olympics in 2012 and helped to oversee test events and cross country planning at both London and Tokyo (2021). A Level 4 FEI course designer, he has also designed at staple events such as Burnham Market CCI4*-S/L, Houghton International CCIO4*-S, Barbury Castle CCI4*-S and Blair Castle CCI4*-S/L. Stateside, he is the current designer at The Event at TerraNova in Myakka City, FL.
“I am humbled, honoured and delighted to have been asked to design the cross-country track for the Olympic Games LA28,” Alec said in an FEI press release. “It will be a great challenge, and one which I am looking forward to immensely. Each Olympics is unique and special. The Olympics is the biggest showcase that our sport — that any sport — has, and to be chosen as course designer is very exciting.”
FEI President Ingmar De Vos praised the appointment, stating: “He holds excellent credentials as a first-class Eventing course designer but also as a technical delegate and an organiser. He was instrumental in advising the FEI on the cross-country feasibility at the LA28 equestrian venue at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, and we are confident that, in cooperation with Mike Etherington-Smith, he will design a course that challenges the world’s best while showcasing the heart of our sport to a wider global audience.”
Work on the LA28 cross country course is set to begin in the coming weeks.
