Rio 2016 really has arrived – the cross-country (XC) course was opened today for inspection by the athletes. I am not going to even start to try and describe the XC – that is for the experts – but it has been beautifully presented and the going / footing looks and feels spot on. I am, however, pretty certain that we will be hearing the much used “well, it’s not going to be a dressage competition” phrase over the next couple of days; I suspect the reality is that those that will stand on the podium on the 9th August will have made it look like a dressage competition: There is some mouth wateringly talented horses and riders here, in all the disciplines and I am quite certain that the sport will be of the very highest level.
While I was perambulating around the XC trying to look as if I had a semblance of understanding of the questions being posed by the Course Designer, the “management” were running through a rehearsal for the Fence Judges and emergency services. This is quite a challenge for those in a position of organizational power. The annual high profile events (e.g. Lexington) have a loyal band of volunteers who return each year and know their roles and how everything pieces together. The Olympics pulls volunteers together from around the world and they have a very short period of time in which to “pull the team together”. To rehears the XC it is regular practice to use quad bikes or motorbikes in the place of horses, with the riders delivering messages to Fence Judges (e.g. 1 refusal) or simulating falls in order to test the reporting and emergency responses. I can report that competitor 73 (astride a quad bike) very nearly had an unintentional when the vehicle delivering the packed lunched to the Fence Judges stopped rather suddenly and No 73 only just avoided eating the brake lights. I was also most impressed with the quad bike driver who simulated a human casualty with an aplomb that would surely land him a role with the Royal Shakespeare Company as a thespian superstar (yes darlings, the RSC do plays and things). The veterinarian that broke the 200m record to reach the aforementioned simulated human casualty seemed most crestfallen when he discovered the quad bike, aka horse, was 100% well and healthy.
Scenes from the cross-country course:
Last night all the equestrian peeps headed to an Italian restaurant to take on carbohydrates and celebrate the arrival of some, commiserate over the delay and thus non-arrival of others and scratch their heads over the missing luggage belonging to the Unfortunates. Getting around Rio in a car is interesting and learning the name and concept of “Retorno” is essential. The arterial routes through Barra (where the Olympic Village and Park is) are all 4 lane highways / dual carriageways. In Brazil they drive on the right (so the wrong) side of the road – to turn across these highways. The process is not a roundabout or traffic lights but the norm is to go past where you want to go and then do a legal U turn (or Retorno) in order to return on the other side of the road. I think I might have just about explained this. Retornos can be soul destroying as you often pass where you want to be and only reach the intended destination some 15 minutes later having executed the retorno in heavy traffic.
The day finished with the Welcome Ceremony in the Village for the U.S. Team – each Nation has an official Welcome Ceremony in the Village to welcome them to the Games and most of our athletes attended. The Welcome Ceremonies are also usually attended by the Mayor of the Village; yes, there is a Mayor of the Village!
Tomorrow is Opening Ceremony day; well that is what will occupy 99% of those in Rio. Enough on Opening Ceremonies. For us the focus is the eventing horse inspection and so, there we are, all the hours of training, buckets of sweat, killowats of stress, spreadsheets of planning (and the occasional bottle of red wine) will cumulate on the field of play over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile back in Lexington, the USEF staff have come together to send a picture and a instabeebobackwardsforwardsweirdAPPvideoclip [reader note: otherwise known as Boomerang] of them all in their custom 2016 clothing and formed up in the shape of a heart. From all in Rio…thank you; very much appreciated and thank you for everything you all do to help the riders and the staff get to Rio and (we hope) excel in Rio.
