The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that the equestrian disciplines of dressage, show jumping and eventing will be included in the Los Angeles (LA) 2028 sports programme following the IOC Executive Board meeting held on 12 and 13 October in Mumbai (IND).

This is great news for British Eventing as it allows for both our existing senior and our up-and-coming youth riders to focus on achieving their dreams and goals, and for our continued gold-medal winning delivery on the global stage.

“We are delighted with the IOC’s announcement that the equestrian disciplines at competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be on the Los Angeles 2028 sports programme,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“Equestrian has been part of the Olympics since 1912, and with such a strong heritage and enthusiasm for the sport in the US, we are looking forward to delivering successful and engaging Games, focussed on the future and the values which make it unique in the sporting landscape.”

British Eventing’s CEO, Rosie Williams said of the news: “It’s great to see the announcement in relation to the inclusion of the equestrian disciplines in LA 2028. What it means for British Eventing is that we have a target to aim for in the development of our riders, horses, officials, backroom supporters and fans.

“This announcement will also bring great momentum to our domestic competitions, not only to provide the right events for our talented combinations but build on our fan base of those who will be prepared to get up in the middle of the night to watch!

“For now, we are excited for Paris and hope we can get a huge following for the team, but it’s great to know we have LA firmly in our sights as well.”

The British Eventing team compete at the Olympic Games under the British Equestrian banner which sees the three Olympic disciplines come together.

Image: Tokyo Olympics 2021 British gold-medal winning team of Laura Collett, Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend, courtesy of British Equestrian/Jon Stroud Media