International eventing riders are ready-set-go for the London Olympic test event scheduled to take place at the 2012 Olympic venue in Greenwich Park near London, Great Britain, on 4 - 6 July 2011. Part of the London Prepares series, the event will allow the London 2012 Organising Committee to test key aspects of its operations in preparation for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games – including the field of play, timing and scoring technology, venue installation and workforce.
In particular, the cross country course will follow some of the planned course for the 2012 Games, and will include some of the same features.
The event also provides an ideal opportunity for athletes and team officials to get to grips with the venue ahead of competing there at the 2012 Games. In addition to the core eventing competition, the Greenwich Park Eventing Invitational will include demonstrations of dressage, jumping and para-dressage – giving athletes from these disciplines the chance to provide feedback on LOCOG’s plans.
About the Greenwich Park Eventing International
Eventing competitions are made up of three distinct tests. At the Greenwich Park Eventing International, each test is being held on a different day. The riders' scores from each test are added together to determine the overall winner.
The first phase is dressage (4 July) - a test of suppleness, obedience and elegance. Each horse and rider performs the same test in front of a panel of three judges positioned around the arena. The judges' scores are converted into penalty points, which are then carried forward to the next stage.
The second phase is cross-country (5 July), which tests a rider's judgement of speed and the horse's boldness, athleticism and skill. The 3,000m cross-country course at the Greenwich Park Eventing International features 19 jumps. Each horse and rider combination is given penalty points for jumping errors and time faults, which are then added to any penalty points awarded during the dressage phase.
The competition finishes with show-jumping (6 July), a challenging series of knock-down obstacles. Once again, riders and horses are given penalty points for jumping errors and time faults, which are added to their previous scores. The horse and rider combination with the lowest total score is declared the winner.
After the cross-country has finished on 5 July, there'll be a preview of the Paralympic Equestrian competition in the main arena. Horse and rider combinations from all five grades of Paralympic competition will each perform one of the dressage tests that will feature at the Paralympic Games. These championship tests, made up of set movements, are designed to demonstrate the harmony of horse and rider, who aim to present an overall picture of lightness and rhythm.
Check out the eventing participants here.
Dressage to be Tested As well
In the afternoon of 4 July 2011, international dressage riders will also be testing the main arena, starting at 16.30h. This Dressage field-of-play demonstration will take up one hour.
Invited dressage riders include Anders Dahl, Henriette Andersen, Mette Assoline, Amy Stovold and Hannah Biggs, though no official list has been published.
Related Links
London 2012 Olympic Equestrian Timetable Announced
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