Three riders per team with one reserve team member and the European Championships to be held in Moscow, these were the major decisions taken by the FEI Dressage Committee at their meeting in London, May 20-22, 2005.
"There are still little details to be discussed and organized, but we have decided that there will be three riders per team and one reserve rider that can go through the vet check. Also, the European Championships will take place in Moscow," Mariette Withages told Eurodressage on Sunday evening after the meeting.
The May FEI Dressage Committee meeting in London was a very important one as it determined the future of dressage at Olympic level. On request of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the dressage team competition had to incorporate more countries if it wanted to secure its Olympic status for the future. The resolve the issue the FEI, therefore, reduced the amount of team members from four to three per country.
Concerning team competition, the old rule stated that for the Olympics the traveling (fifth) reserve combination had to be declared one hour before the vet check and could no longer become a part of the team after the jog. The new rule, which has been accepted at the Meeting, allows a fourth (reserve) horse to travel to the Olympics and be vet checked along with the three team horses. In case one of the three team horses gets ill or injured before the Grand Prix the reserve horse can be instated.
Finally, the organization of the 2005 European Championships is no longer in limbo. The Championships will take place in Moscow, despite organizational problems in Russia and two offers from Holland and Germany to host the Championships in their country.
Judge Markowksi returned from his field trip to Moscow with a complete report on the current state of the show grounds, the 1980 Olympic Games' venue also called 'Bitsa'. "Two years ago the ruins of Acropolis were in a better shape than the show grounds in Moscow," Withages joked, "but now they are in order."
" 'Bitsa' has been extensively renovated the last 3 years. Mr Bo Helander visited the new venue this winter and there was an inspection from the International Olympic Committee this year. They both liked the venue very much. The World Championship in Modern Pentathlon was held there last year, and its organization corresponded to all international requirements," Katya Shtatnova, spokesperson for the Russian Equestrian Federation, told Eurodressage. "As far as hotels are concerned, there is only one hotel at the venue, but 10-15 minutes from it, there are at least two 3-star hotels. Bitsa is situated 20 minutes from the old city center, where there is a large selection of hotels."
Complete minutes on the FEI Dressage Committee Meeting will be posted this week.
Photo copyrighted: Arnd Bronkhorst
Related Links
Three To Tango: Three Members Per Team
FEI Secretary General Bo Helander Resigns
Only Three Makes a Team: Drastic Change in FEI Dressage Rule