Ticket holders for the final day of the Olympic eventing competition will be allowed to attend the final horse inspection, after a U-turn by organisers LOCOG.
The 20,000 spectators with tickets to the showjumping phase, on Tuesday 31 July, will be allowed into Greenwich Park from 7.45am, LOCOG told H&H today.
The horse inspection – where all the horses still in the competition are presented to the ground jury to check their fitness to continue – will begin at 8.15am.
Badminton director Hugh Thomas resigned from his technical role at the Olympics over LOCOG’s original decision to bar spectators from the trot-ups.
LOCOG had said that “operational factors” precluded it from opening the inspections to the public.
But today a spokesman announced the change of heart.
She said: “The final horse inspection has become a popular public feature at major events. LOCOG has worked hard to change the schedule to make this change possible.”
Ingmar De Vos, secretary general of horse sport’s governing body, the FEI, said: “The FEI is happy that LOCOG has revised the access schedule on 31 July to allow spectators into the venue in plenty of time to watch the final horse inspection for eventing.
“It [31 July] is a particularly important day for equestrian sport, as it is the day when the first medals will be decided in equestrian sport’s centenary year.”
