HorsesDaily®

Riders from 41 nations have qualified to compete in the equestrian events at the London 2012 Olympic Games.  The FEI Olympic Athletes Rankings in Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing are published today (2 March). They are the final stage of the qualification by nation process, which concluded yesterday (1 March).

Dalma Rushdi Malhas, who made history by becoming the first Saudi female athlete to compete on the Olympic stage when she rode at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010, was amongst a high-profile group of speakers who addressed the recent IOC Women and Sport conference in Los Angeles (USA). The 20-year-old, who won individual bronze in Singapore, spoke of her hope of gender equality in all sports.

The London 2012 Olympic Games marks 100 years of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement, and FEI President HRH Princess Haya is looking forward to celebrating the centenary at Greenwich Park this summer.

“We are really proud to be celebrating 100 years of Olympic equestrian sport at the London 2012 Games and it’s wonderful that we will be doing that at an iconic venue like Greenwich Park right in the heart of the Games,” FEI President HRH Princess Haya said today.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games look set to take Paralympic Equestrian into the history books for many reasons, as we get one step closer on the eve of the 200-day countdown.  Sales of Paralympic Equestrian tickets for London 2012 have already broken records.  More than 40,000 tickets were sold before Christmas last year, dramatically overtaking the previous record of 33,000 for the 2008 Paralympic Equestrian events held in Hong Kong.