The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) will hold the Youth Equestrian Games as a replacement competition for young athletes who will miss their chance to compete at the Youth Olympic Games.
The Youth Olympic Games were due to be held in Dakar, Senegal October 22 to November 9, 2022 before complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and their domestic economic situation forced the postponement of the Games to 2026. They were to be the first Youth Olympic Games held in Africa.
The Youth Equestrian Games will be held under the same competition format and rules as the Youth Olympic Games.
The FEI also announced a cooperation deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that will see the global organization’s Culture and Education Program held in tandem with the competition.
FEI President Ingmar De Vos commented, “it was important for the FEI to find a replacement to the Youth Olympic Games to ensure we did not deprive a whole youth generation of the Olympic dream.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will inspire young equestrians from all over the world, making this not only a rewarding, exciting and impactful experience for them, but with an educational dimension, fundamental to instilling the philosophy of the Olympic Games. Exposing the youth to the integral values built around Olympism that will ultimately encourage further skills development to achieving high levels of performance, whilst understanding friendship and respect in the sporting arena.”
“To foster these Olympic values is key to ensuring the future of our sport in the Olympic movement. The Youth Equestrian Games are a unique opportunity to develop our young athletes at the highest level while keeping them motivated towards the Olympic dream”
The FEI selected Aachen, Germany as host of the Youth Equestrian Games. Like the Youth Olympic Games, the event will feature riders from 30 countries and six continents. Riders will compete in both individual and continental team events.
The competition format employed by the FEI will also be similar to one instituted for the Youth Olympic Games. Importantly, riders will be assigned horses by random draw. A similar measure was used for the riding portion of modern pentathlon at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, where the sport found itself embroiled in controversy after horse welfare and competition fairness scandals plagued the competition.
It should be noted that youth athletes will be given more time to familiarize themselves with the horses then modern pentathletes were given in Tokyo. They will also run a “welcome competition,” before any official events take place.
The FEI Youth Equestrian Games 2022 will take place from June 28 to July 3, 2022.
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