Farbrot Gives Up Norway's Individual Olympic Spot for Tokyo

Dressage

Norway

Just three weeks after achieving her second MER score and official qualification for the 2021 Olympic Games, Norway's Ellen Birgitte Farbrot has announced she will not be competing in Tokyo.

Individual Slot for Norway

Norway has been allocated one individual slot as part of the 15 individual places that have been assigned based on the Olympic Ranking List of 2019. In Group A (North Western Europe), Finland with Henri Ruoste as flagbearer and Norway thanks to Fabrot's scores obtained a slot.

In 2019 Farbrot competed the now 16-year old Danish warmblood mare Tailormade Tahennya (by Herzog von Holstein x Supermax Macho) with whome she obtained her Olympic Ranking points.

However this year the Danish based Norwegian achieved achieved her two MER scores aboard the 16-year old Oldenburg bred Tailormade Red Rebel (by Skovens Rafael x Donnerhall x Pik Bube I) and qualified for Tokyo with him.

Their second MER was achieved at the 2021 CDI Grote Brogel in Belgium on 14 May 2021.

No Tokyo

Today, Farbrot announced that she will not be travelling to Tokyo with the 16-year old Red Rebel.

"In consultation with the owners of Tailormade Red Rebel, we have chosen to withdraw from the Olympic spot," said Ellen Birgitte. "Based on the fact that Tailormade Red Rebel is still new to this level and both COVID and EHV made it close to impossible to give him the show and travel experience needed. With that said my “athlete heart” wants us to go, also knowing it might never happen again. If the travel was not that far - it would have been a different story."

She continued, "I’m still extremely happy that the qualifications went well and I’m so happy for all your support. Hopefully we can look forward to the European Championships and the World Championships next year. I’m delighted to learn that my withdrawal makes an opportunity for another country to send one of their candidates. Sometimes the journey is the destination."