Dear members,
Hong Kong to send first para dressage team to Paralympic Games!
The HKEF is delighted to update that Hong Kong has confirmed an additional place at the Paralympic Games, taking the quota from two to three and therefore forming the first ever para dressage team to the Games in 2021.
Based on the top six international results obtained before 31 January 2020, Hong Kong riders Timothy Tsang and Natasha Tse ranked among the top three on the FEI Paralympic Individual Asia Region Ranking List and attained the maximum of two slots available. On top of the two slots earned, FEI also confirmed Hong Kong earning an additional place to the Paralympics earlier in March. Our rider Fleur Schrader, who received a Bipartite Commission Invitation, will be joining Timothy and Natasha to Tokyo next year.
With Hong Kong obtaining three individual slots and all athletes fulfilling the required criteria to form a team, the HKEF is excited to see the first para dressage team to the Paralympics. Having only qualified one slot in previous Games, this significantly marks the milestone of equestrian sport in Hong Kong.
To prepare for the upcoming Paralympics, Fleur competes at Keysoe CPEDI3* with Jockey Club Sarago Raphael and Jockey Club Caraat in October, while Timothy and Natasha continue their training three times a week at Beas River Equestrian Centre. Pandemic allowing the team will be reunited in Europe in the spring at the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s training base in Surrey, UK. They hope to target the early season international shows before travelling to Tokyo later in the summer.
The Tokyo Paralympic equestrian events are going to be held at Baji Koen Equestrian Park shortly after the Olympics from 26 – 30 August 2021. While this is the first time Hong Kong sending a team to the Paralympics, Hong Kong also earned two “firsts” in the Olympics – the first time ever to be represented in eventing, and the first time to return to jumping event since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
The HKEF would like to wish the best of luck to all riders for their preparations for Tokyo next year.
Best Regards,
Hong Kong Equestrian Federation
