change to olympic eventing team format?

[Jo_x]

I just read an article that mentioned at Rio there will be 4 riders on a team with 3 scores to count, rather than 5 as in London.

Does anyone know if this is accurate, and why the change? Will there still be an individual rider or no?

 

[oldvic]

This is true, just 4 riders per nation. This is how it used to be although I can't remember when or why it changed.

 

[silv]

Yes, that was when the individual and team event was run concurrently, I am not sure why it changed. Not sure about the changes for Rio.

 

[teapot]

This is true, just 4 riders per nation. This is how it used to be although I can't remember when or why it changed.

Sydney I think was the last four person team.

I know the FEI were considering changes for Eventing considering its role in the Olympics, but hadn't realised it was going to happen for Rio.

 

[oldvic]

Way back, it was a three man team then it became 4 man. For Atlanta the IOC said they couldn't give 2 medals for one performance so they brought in the 2 competitions for there and Sydney (yes teapot, I now recall that Athens was the first time they did the 2 rounds of jumping). Then it became five with 3 to count and and extra round of show jumping to decide the individual result. For Rio they have reduced it to four again, I assume to reduced the number of equestrian competitors. Dressage is down to three. For Tokyo, the FEI are having to look into how the competition is run to make it acceptable to the IOC.

 

[Jo_x]

It's interesting. I actually thought that having five on a team with only three scores to count makes a bit of a mockery of it being a team competition when only 60% of the teams performance counts in the end, so it seems like a pretty reasonable change to me. I guess it also helps even it up for the lesser countries who might not have five riders to send..

 

[teapot]

Will those on the team still be able to compete for the individual medals? Ie having that extra round of sj?

 

[oldvic]

Yes, in Rio but it will be different in Tokyo. The format is not yet decided so team and individual may or may not be the same riders.

 

[teapot]

Yes, in Rio but it will be different in Tokyo. The format is not yet decided so team and individual may or may not be the same riders.

Interesting.