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Tom McDermott on his way to Singapore for Youth Olympics

Tom McDermott Photograph:Rachel Smith

Equestrian New South Wales members will play a major part in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games which commence in just over two weeks.

There is a very strong representation of officials joining the sole Australian competitor in the jumping competitions, Tom McDermott.

The 17 year old rider from Wagga Wagga was nominated by the Australian Olympic Committee to be Australia’s representative on the recommendation of Equestrian Australia’s  jumping selectors.

Joining Tom in the Australasian team will be New Zealand rider Jake Lambert and three riders nominated by the FEI to make up the team of five, Sultan Al Touqi, Oman, Xu Zhengyang, China, and Jasmine Lei, Hong Kong. Under the rules of the event any one nation is only allowed one competitor.

In all there will thirty competitors that will compete for a team medal and for individual honours. Each of the six continents has a team of five riders where the best three scores will count from each of the two rounds. The individual competition will follow the teams competition and will also be over two rounds which are set down for the 22^nd and 24^th of August.

The riders will be introduced to their horses on the 13th of August  when the ballot  is conducted at the Singapore  Turf Club Riding Centre venue. They will have four days to familiarise themselves with their mount before the first round of the teams competition on the 18^th of August.

All of the horses for the event have come from Australia. Paula and David Hamood won the contract to supply the thirty eight horses required for the jumping competitions. They have been trained at the Hamood’s Glen Haven Park Farm at Kilkoy in Queensland. Equestrian New South Wales member, Emma Smith from Robertson has been one of the training riders and is currently in Singapore with the Glen Haven team.

The thirty eight horses arrived in Singapore on the 15^th of July and are required to undertake two weeks of quarantine at the venue. This has allowed their training to continue and begin the acclimatisation process.

ENSW course designer John Vallance has been working with the organising committee for the past twelve months to assist in the development of the infrastructure for the event. In addition to preparing the courses John has designed the themed obstacles for the jumping competitions. In all there will be 28 special obstacles for the four rounds of jumping.

Supporting John in Singapore in the course design work will be Murrumbateman course designer, Brad Longhurst and Cobargo designer Jack ‘Kiwi’ Wilson.

Board member of ENSW, Graham Davey, is a member of the Ground Jury and will work alongside Quirindi veterinary surgeons Nigel Nichols, FEI Foreign Vet and Cate Plummer President of the Veterinary Commission.

Congratulations to Tom and the officials. Equestrian New South Wales wishes them all the best for the conduct of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.