Exclusive - Princess Haya "Thrilled" with Equestrian Test Event for London Olympics

BP

is proud to support Around the Rings

coverage of London 2012

(ATR) The president of the International Equestrian Federation tells Around the Rings she is delighted with the outcome of the FEI's three-day test event for the 2012 Games.

The Greenwich Park Eventing Invitational wrapped up Wednesday following show-jumping, dressage and cross country competitions at the park on the south bank of the River Thames in east London.

"The venue is so beautiful, it is really stunning. The stands were full. Everyone from the FEI is thrilled," Haya told ATR in Durban, where she is attending the IOC Session.

"We are really looking forward to the Games. It's so wonderful to be there [Greenwich Park] at the heart of it all.

"I think it will really be an amazing Games for equestrian. [Britain] has so much history and tradition in our sport. The public knows our sport and we can already see that in the test event.

"There was a real understanding and affinity [from fans]."

Haya, an IOC member from the United Arab Emirates, attended the first two days of the test event before flying out to South Africa on Wednesday morning to take part in the vote on the 2018 Winter Olympics, won by South Korea's PyeongChang.

Temporary structures will be used at the venue for Olympic equestrian events at Greenwich Park, including a cross-country course and arena. The venue is London’s oldest Royal Park and dates back to 1433.

LOCOG's competition manager for equestrian Tim Hadaway admitted to ATR that despite a largely successful test event, more work on preparations is required ahead of the Olympics to get the venue in shape.

"I think we ran it pretty close to the bone [time-wise]," he said at the Greenwich Park site.

"We were ready but we were only just ready and at the Olympic Games we need to be comfortably ready so you have that little bit of leeway to ensure that if things don’t go right in the installation process, you’re still going to be ready for the 27th of July," he said.

For the jumping test event this week, jumps were borrowed from other equestrian venues in the UK. But for London 2012 bespoke-designed jumps are to be used.

Among FEI innovations for the dressage element in the temporary arena is a purpose-made platform, made from plywood, aluminium and steel and held above the ground by 2,100 pillars resting on the ground.

While these events have taken place over just a few days, Hadaway acknowledged that next summer the three equestrian events will be on a much larger scale and require much more work at the preparation phase.

"Next year everything is scaled up - for us there will be many more horses, more spectators, stables and more training arenas," he said.

"It’s just takingthis blueprint but then scaling it up and ensuring the people are ready for that challenge."

The venue will now enter a transition phase as it is prepared for the run, laser shooting and riding aspects of modern pentathlon's test event, the UIPM World Cup final, on July 9 and 10.

After the Olympic Games, Hadaway said the challenge was to convert the venue in just two weeks for equestrian events at the Paralympics.

"You have a five- to six-week period [for the Olympics and Paralympics] there that you’ve got to make sure a team is firing on all cylinders, waking up each morning as enthusiastic and passionate and cheerful as possible," he said.

"This has been easy on that front, but we’ve only had to do that for a week – we’ve got to do that over six weeks nextyear."

A total of 40 horse riders from around the world came to London to test the Greenwich Park arena and cross country course.

Team GB show-jumper Ben Maher told ATR he was pleased with progress made on Greenwich Park ahead of the Olympics.

"It’s very impressive. It’s very well-organized, which is needed because there will be things that will need to be changed," he said.

"The surface needs to be slightly altered. It makes jumps feel bigger and gives harder work for the horses but these are things than can be easily rectified."

More time to prepare for the equestrian events was a common theme among officials ATR interviewed at Greenwich Park.

British show-jumping performance manager Rob Hoekstra complained about the footing, but put it down to the surface being only laid a week before the test event. Next year, it will be laid five weeks prior to the opening of the Games.

Hoekstra also spoke highly of LOCOG, praising the organizational skill and expertise in "testing" almost every detail.

"[LOCOG] have been fantastic. They are really testing everything and seeing if everything is working. The stables are not perfect, but they will be in a different position next year," he added.

The event was slightly marred by the presence of protestors outside the gates to the entrance of the park. They were protesting what they saw as "abuse" and "damage" by LOCOG to the English Heritage site.

Written by Christian Radnedge in London and Mark Bisson in Durban.