The Australian eventing team at Tokyo 2020.

© HippoFoto - Dirk Caremans

Teams-of-three format to remain for Paris 2024

By Equestrian Life

The team-of-three format implemented at the Tokyo Olympics will remain in place for Paris 2024, following a vote at the FEI Hybrid General Assembly.

A total of 70 national federations voted in favour of teams of three at the 2024 Olympics, with 30 voting against and one abstention. The vote on the teams of three for the Paralympic Games passed with 79 in favour and 19 against.

The team-of-three format is contentious, and for this reason FEI president Ingmar de Vos proposed a separate vote on this particular part of the qualification process. Many have expressed concerns that a three-per-team format with no drop scores can leave riders in a difficult position where horse welfare competes with the need to ‘push on for the team’ - particularly in the jumping disciplines. It’s suggested that in some cases, horses that should perhaps be retired could be pushed on to complete and avoid team elimination - raising obvious welfare concerns.

The exact formats for each discipline won’t be confirmed until an IOC meeting in February, and rules and MERs are still to be consulted on.

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