Bermuda secure berth ? but who is going to Athens?
Bermuda will have an equestrian in the Olympics ? but who it will be is still not yet determined.
The Island was granted a berth on the basis of Tim Collins topping the International Equestrian Federation?s (French acronym FEI) North American zone.
However, as he has still not qualified either of his mounts, the place could go to another Bermudian, MJ Tumbridge, who has qualified at least one horse for the Olympics though she herself failed to qualify.
President of the Bermuda Equestrian Federation Mike Cherry said yesterday they had received confirmation from the FEI ? the sport?s world-governing organisation ? that Bermuda ?does have a place which was earned by Tim (Collins)? who led the regional zone with 44 points.
He explained that although a particular competitor secures the spot it is given to that individual?s country (the national association) to choose who will in fact go to the Summer Games.
?This is not peculiar to equestrian. This has happened in sailing and all sorts of other sports as well,? pointed out Cherry.
?Tim would be our first choice because he is the person who got the place for Bermuda. He still has to qualify his horse and he has a couple of events coming up for this in the next two or three weeks.?
However, if Collins does not have a mount qualified by the end of June, Bermuda could award its equestrian spot to another rider.
?If he should not, for whatever reason, qualify his horse that leaves the door open for our other rider Mary Jane (MJ) Tumbridge to be included.
?She has a horse already qualified and she had good results on two other horses in France on the weekend. So it could well be, when we get the official word, that she may have qualified another horse.?
Tumbridge, who had various setbacks in her bid to make the Athens Olympics, qualified last August but competed on and in the three-star CCI event in France.
Collins, currently training in Holland, is hoping to qualify and before the deadline.
?We have to send our certificates of capability into the FEI and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by June 30 so we have another month to sort things out,? said Cherry.