ACOG - News - IBM

(24 July 1996; Day 05)

New Equestrian Format Provides New Challenges

Three day event riders are accustomed to riding several horses a day while schooling at home on a daily basis, and riding multiple horses in the same competition. But the standard competition format results in multiple dressage tests during the first two days of a competition, multiple two-hour endurance tests the following day, and multiple stadium jumping rounds on the final day of competition. That is not the case at the Centennial Olympic Games, and will not be the case at future Olympics.

In 1991, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approached the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) with a concern. At all FEI world championships, including the Olympics, individual and team champions have historically been determined on the basis of a single set of performances. However, the IOC was no longer willing to award two medals for the same performance. The FEI was told to either eliminate either the team or individual medals, or separate the competitions. As a result, eight riders were put in the unique position of completing a one hour-45 minute endurance phase before noon, and riding a dressage test on a different horse a few hours later on Tuesday.

"An hour and a half after cross country, I had to completely switch gears," said David O'CONNOR of the United States, who rode Giltedge in the team competition in the morning and stands in second place on Custom Made halfway through individual dressage. "I just turned on my walkman and started on my normal dressage-day routine." Some would suggest that riding a dressage test is quite anti-climactic following 10 minutes of galloping over fences at 570 meters/minute, but O'CONNOR disagreed. "Nothing is ever anti-climactic on Custom Made."

Two competitors are scheduled to follow Wednesday morning's team competition jumping round with an individual dressage test in the afternoon.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Amy H. Symons.


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The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts.