More nations will be represented in horse sports at the Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020.
This means it will be easier for countries to qualify full teams to the Games, which could be good news for Ireland’s eventers, show jumpers and dressage riders.
However, teams will be smaller – with numbers dropping from four to three.
Ireland qualified a full, four-strong three-day eventing team to Rio 2016; Clare Abbot, Jonty Evans, Mark Kyle and Padraig McCarthy. Greg Broderick was Ireland’s sole show jumping representative and Judy Reynolds qualified in dressage.
Up until now, in team events in horse sports at the Olympics only the top three scores counted with the lowest discarded. This rule will be changed at Tokyo with all three combinations’ scores counting.
Equestrian sports’ world governing body the FEI made these and other tweaks after a two-year consultation process following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to downgrade their events to Tier 4 events.
The IOC grades sports from Tier 1-5, with 5 the lowest and in danger of being dropped from the Olympic rota.
The FEI are aiming to make their sports more spectator friendly and include more countries while staying within the existing quota of 200 competitors.
Ireland has failed to qualify a Show Jumping team for the last three Olympics.
“This was a really important vote for the future of our sport if we are to increase universality in accordance with the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020”, FEI President Ingmar De Vos said after the vote.
“Of course this now has to be approved by the IOC, but it opens the door to countries that previously could only see the Olympics as a distant dream.”
