The Journey to the Youth Olympic Games

The Olympic journey for Australia’s young showjumping riders will begin on 10 & 11 June at Camden’s Bicentennial Park in NSW.

The current crop of young jumping riders will hope to gain their certificate of capability so that they can be considered for selection as an Australian representative at the third Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina in September 2018.

To gain their Certificate of Capability the riders will have to complete a jumping course designed by Rio Olympics course designer Guilerme Jorge with no more than eight penalties.

The Youth Olympic Games is an elite sporting event for young people from all over the world. An event distinct from other youth sports events, as they also integrate a unique Culture and Education Programme (CEP), based around five main themes: Olympism, Social Responsibility, Skills Development, Expression and Well-being and Healthy Lifestyles.

The Youth Olympic Games bring together more than 3,500 talented young athletes aged between 15 to 18 from around the world for a 12-day period and feature 28 sports on the summer programme, including Jumping.

Just like the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games are held every four years.

Several current major international names have come through the Youth Olympics movement including Swiss ace Martin Fuchs and Belgian star Olivier Philippaerts.

Australia’s representatives at the Youth Olympic Games so far have been Tom McDermott in Singapore and Jake Hunter in Nanjing, China. Hunter won an individual bronze medal and McDermott won a silver and both riders have gone on to successfully compete internationally.

Jake Hunter (right) winning individual bronze at the 2015 Youth Olympic Games. Photo credit FEI - Youth Olympic Games

Tom McDermott said he benefitted greatly from the experience of competing at the Youth Olympics and it armed him with plenty of positives to take onto other international stages.

“The Youth Olympics are a more of a level playing field for everyone,” McDermott said.

“You ride borrowed horses which makes it all a bit luck of the draw.”

“They put on a really good week and it’s really well run and you have a lot of opportunities to meet international coaches.”  

McDermott recently returned from a successful stint riding in the USA.

He is now working towards selection for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon next year and will likely return to the USA later this year as part of his preparations.

There are four events in Australia where athletes can compete to gain their Certificate of Capability:    

• Camden, NSW from 10-11 June
• Gatton, Qld from 3-4 August
• WA State Championships from 3-5 November
• Boneo Park, Vic from 7-8 November

Further information on the Youth Olympic Games can be obtained from the state branch of a member’s state or the FEI website at http://inside.fei.org/fei/games/youth-olympic