A stellar line-up of equestrians have descended on Greenwich Park, the first and possibly the most technically demanding of the 2012 Olympic venues to have its viability tested in the London Prepares series of events.
London’s accessibility and Britain’s status as the acknowledged power base of world eventing mean that a higher calibre of rider than usual has been called in for the equestrian Olympic test event, which takes the form of a novice level three-day event starting tomorrow.
The 41 riders from 23 nations include Germany’s Michael Jung, the reigning world champion and the rider rivals fear most. New Zealand has its perennial British-based double act in Mark Todd, gold medallist in 1984 and 1988, and five-time Olympian Andrew Nicholson. Beijing riders include Frank Ostholt, who won team gold for Germany, and Clayton Fredericks from Australia’s silver medal squad.
The equivalent trial in Hong Kong in 2007 put the emphasis on humidity — Britain flew out three different types of horse to see which one fared best — rather than grappling with the logistics of an untried urban site that has provoked local opposition.
The focus at Greenwich will be on rider assessment of a city park venue that takes equestrianism into the geographical heart of the Olympics for the first time. The dressage and show jumping arena is built on stilts, the cross-country course is steeper and more compact than usual, albeit with smaller jumps than for next year, and the journey to work is via London transport.
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Team GB has deployed William Fox-Pitt, a thoughtful, articulate veteran of Atlanta, Athens and Hong Kong, with Pippa Funnell, a silver medallist in Sydney and Athens, and the aspiring Piggy French. Aged 30, the talented French’s Olympic career is taking off while the leading riders of this era are firmly resisting being pensioned off. Fox-Pitt and Funnell, both in their forties, plus 50-year-old Mary King, aiming for a record sixth consecutive Olympic slot, are at the top of their game.
“We’ve got three experienced riders and they’ll give us expert feedback on the topography,” explained Will Connell, world-class performance director. “What Locog [London 2012 organising committee] has achieved at Greenwich looks amazing but it’s not the finished product. We’re here to rehearse a logistics plan. Odd things will inevitably go wrong and it’s important that people understand.”
Britain’s eventers won 10% of the national medal haul in Athens, yet there has been no Olympic team gold since 1972 and managing expectation in a country with a strong equestrian heritage is a key part of Connell’s job. “There’s a lot of talk about the home advantage but you have to plan for the home disadvantage too — the expectations of press and public, and of supporters who expect to get tickets.”
The expected protest from the pressure group NoGoe (No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events) is an added distraction, though Lord Coe, the chairman of Locog, said: “We will treat the park with respect and care. This is a chance to see world-class sport at a historic venue.”