The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are set to commence with the thrilling sport of eventing, marking the start of equestrian competitions. This special edition of Fast Facts provides an in-depth look at everything you need to know, from schedules and competitor details to livestreaming information and the intricacies of the competition format.
The Competitors: A Global Showcase
A total of 15 nations are fielding full teams in the eventing competition: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.S. Additionally, Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, South Africa, and Spain will have individual representatives.
Diving deeper into the 81 horses participating, the roster comprises 60 geldings, 20 mares, and one stallion. It’s important to note that due to Olympic regulations concerning sponsorships, some horse names may appear with prefixes or suffixes removed. For instance, Caroline Powell’s entry, Greenacres Special Cavalier, will compete as Special Cavalier, Kevin McNab’s Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam will be known as Don Quidam, and Liz Halliday’s Cooley Nutcracker will be referred to as Nutcracker.
The field boasts a range of experience, with Finland’s individual entry Veer Manninen and Switzerland’s team rider Nadja Minder being the youngest competitors at 24 years old. Representing the most senior rider is Ecuador’s Ronald Zabala Goetschel, who is 57 years old.
The Selle Français breed, popular at the Tokyo Games, continues its strong representation with 13 horses registered with this studbook. Among the riders, 47 are male and 34 are female. The oldest horse in the competition is the 21-year-old Oldenburg gelding Forever Young Wundermaske, ridden by Goetschel for Ecuador. This remarkable gelding is co-owned by Goetschel, Fernando Villacis, and Fabian Zabala. In contrast, the youngest horses are two 9-year-olds: the Irish Sport Horse gelding HSH Blake, ridden by U.S. rider Caroline Pamukcu, and the Luxembourg Warmblood gelding Figaro Des Premices, owned and ridden by South African individual rider Alexander Peternell.
Several popular sires are well-represented among this year’s Olympic equine athletes, including Diamant de Semilly, Diarado, Jaguar Mail, Numero Uno, Quidam de Revel, and Tolan R. While the Selle Français is the most represented breed, many of the competing horses trace their lineage back to Germany. Notably, Forever Young Wundermaske is the sole U.S.-bred contender.
Competition Officials and Course Design
The esteemed panel of officials includes Christina Klingspor from Sweden as the President of the Ground Jury, assisted by Xavier LeSauce of France and Robert Stevenson of the USA. George Bazar of Hungary has been appointed as the Chief Steward, while Marcin Konarski of Poland serves as the Technical Delegate, with assistance from Gaston Bileitczuk from France. The challenging cross-country course has been expertly designed by Pierre Le Goupil of France, and the show jumping course will be crafted by Santiago Varela of Spain and Gregory Bodo of France.
Understanding the Competition Format
In team competitions, only three riders will compete, and there are no drop scores. However, a crucial element is the opportunity to substitute a horse and rider combination. The traveling reserve must successfully pass both horse inspections. This substitution can occur up to two hours before the dressage phase begins, without incurring any penalty for the team. The horse originally slated to compete, which is replaced by the reserve, then becomes the new team reserve.
If all horse and rider combinations successfully complete all three phases, their individual scores are combined to determine the team score. Penalties are added to the overall team score for various scenarios: 100 penalty points if a combination does not complete the dressage phase, and 200 penalty points if a combination does not complete the cross-country phase.
Following an incomplete phase, a team has two strategic options:
- They can introduce the reserve combination, accepting the penalties already incurred by the replaced pair, plus an additional 20 penalties for the substitution. Any penalties accumulated by the reserve combination will also be added to the team’s final score.
- Alternatively, the team can choose not to substitute and allow the eliminated or retired pair to re-enter the competition, with the non-completion penalties added to their score. Exceptions to this rule apply if the horse suffers an injury, is disqualified, experiences a fall, or if the rider is penalized for unsafe or abusive riding. In such cases, a substitution is not permitted.
Each team is allowed only one substitution, which must involve both the horse and rider. Substitutions made overnight between phases will incur a penalty of 20 points. Crucially, only riders who complete all three phases are eligible to compete for individual medals.
How to Watch the Eventing Competition
For viewers in the U.S., the 2024 Paris Olympics livestreams will be available through NBC and its streaming service, Peacock. NBC plans to offer at least nine hours of daytime coverage daily, featuring live finals for popular events such as swimming, gymnastics, and track and field. Given the six-hour time difference between Paris and the U.S. Eastern Time Zone, many of the day’s key events will be broadcast live on NBC in the morning and afternoon. Additionally, NBC will present an enhanced Olympic primetime show each night.
Peacock will serve as the comprehensive hub for the Summer Olympics, broadcasting every event live. It will feature an innovative Olympics hub with curated live and upcoming event schedules, dedicated sports hubs, medal standings, and an interactive schedule. A Peacock subscription costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 annually.
The Eventing Schedule
Saturday, July 27:
- 3:30 a.m. ET / 2:30 a.m. CT / 12:30 a.m. PT: Eventing: Dressage Team & Individual, Part 1
- 8:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. CT / 5:00 a.m. PT: Eventing: Dressage Team & Individual, Part 2
Sunday, July 28:
- 4:30 a.m. ET / 3:30 a.m. CT / 1:30 a.m. PT: Eventing: Cross-Country Team & Individual
Monday, July 29:
- 5:00 a.m. ET / 4:00 a.m. CT / 2:00 a.m. PT: Eventing: Jumping Team & Individual (Final)
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