PARIS: Equestrian events at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will showcase the partnership between horse and rider across three distinct disciplines: jumping, dressage and eventing. Organoisers said the events will take place from 27th July to 6th August, with individual and team medals awarded for each discipline at the Chateau de Versailles.

The UAE show jumping team will on Thursday join the UAE 14-member delegation participating in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Rider Omar Al Marzooqi will be carrying the UAE flag in the opening ceremony on Friday, 26th July. The UAE jumping team concluded a training camp in London.

Jumping features timed obstacle courses, while dressage involves horse and rider performing artistic movements to music. Eventing, comparable to an equestrian ‘triathlon,’ combines dressage, jumping and cross-country.

Equestrian is one of the only sports in which men and women compete on equal terms, and aside from the equestrian component of the modern pentathlon, it is the only Olympic event t
o involve animals.

The sport returns to its Olympic roots, with the equestrian events having first debuted at the Olympic Games Paris 1900. Now, equestrian royalty from around the world will gather in France once more, in the most fitting venue of all: the historic ChSteau de Versailles.

For the last two years, thousands of athletes competed in Olympic qualification events, and 65 made it to the fabulous stage at Chateau de Versailles for the eventing competition at Paris 2024.

Before showcasing their performance at Chateau de Versailles, athletes need to qualify for the Games.

To be eligible to participate at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, athletes must be born on or before 31 December 2006 (no younger than 18 years of age in the year that the Olympic Games take place). All horses must be born on or before 31 December 2016 (no younger than eight years of age in the year that the Olympic Games take place).

Source: Emirates News Agency