Covid lockdowns force further five-star event cancellation
The Australian International 3-Day Event (Aus3DE) has been cancelled for a second year owing to Covid lockdowns and the impact other cancelled events have had on riders’ qualifications.
The fixture is the sole CCI5* in the southern hemisphere and last ran in 2019, when Hazel Shannon and Willingapark Clifford claimed their third five-star victory at the Adelaide fixture.
This year’s event was due to take place from 18-21 November, but the plug was pulled as a result of further lockdown measures in Australia.
The Australian International 3-Day Event board announced the news today (6 August).
The notice said the decision was made “after considering all options and follows the impact Covid-19 lockdowns have had on other equestrian events across Australia”.
Board chairman Greg Rolton added that lockdowns in other Australian states have led to equestrian events being cancelled and riders unable to qualify for the Adelaide event in November.
“Our primary focus is to deliver a safe and successful event at the world-class benchmark we have created. Unfortunately, with continued lockdowns across the country in 2021, this has impacted the ability for riders to compete and qualify for the Aus3DE,” he said.
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“We are disappointed this has led to the decision to cancel the 2021 [event] particularly after the success of our Olympic silver medal-winning equestrian eventing team at the Tokyo Olympics, but we have our sights set on the delivery of a fantastic event in 2022 post this pandemic.”
Three CCI5*s are still to come in the 2021 calendar. These are new fixtures at Bicton in Britain (1-5 September) and Maryland in the US (13-17 October), plus the established Pau CCI5* in France (27-31 October).
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.