IT’S emerged that two Olympic appeals from eventing and dressage riders over Horse Sport Ireland’s Tokyo selections were heard and dismissed within a 24-hour timeframe of one another.

Meanwhile, despite calls for a weekend intervention by the Minister of Sport, Jack Chambers, and the Olympic Federation of Ireland (formerly the Olympic Council of Ireland), to allow dressage riders Dane Rawlins and James Connor ride for Ireland at Tokyo, nothing could be done ahead of Monday, July 5th’s deadline for definite Tokyo entries.

An appeal by international event rider Austin O’Connor was heard under a Sports Disputes Solutions Ireland Tokyo 2021 Appeal Process on Thursday, July 1st, and a decision issued the following day (Friday) which dismissed it.

Meanwhile, around 8pm last Friday evening, the Sport Ireland independent arbitration over the appeals of dressage riders Dane Rawlins and James Connor challenging Horse Sport Ireland’s decision not to send an Irish dressage team to Tokyo, also dismissed their case.

CEO of Horse Sport Ireland, Joe Reynolds, said: “It’s certainly been busy between the appeal by Austin and the appeals by Dane and James, none were upheld. There is a lot of misinformation going about unfortunately which does not help. Eligibility criteria and the method of high performance selection is all in place since 2019, it’s not new, We have to abide by it. For example, there is about 150 show jumping riders who would be eligible for Olympic selection.

“The selections by the High Performance Directors take into account a multitude of factors. Those selected have to gel together and be able to take the pressure. There will be immense pressure in Tokyo, with riders in a bubble, not allowed leave it. Horse Sport Ireland is now completely focussed on Tokyo and the logistics required. I really hope that everyone can and will get behind our show jumping eventing and dressage riders that are going to Tokyo.”

Responding to questions from The Irish Field, Horse Sport Ireland confirmed that Austin O’Connor’s appeal was over the decision taken to “nominate him and his mount Colorado Blue as the ‘P Alternate’ rather than one of the three riders/horses selected for Ireland’s Eventing Olympic team. The Appellant also cited grounds that the High Performance Director failed to adhere to the published Athlete Nomination Policy for Eventing.”

Horse Sport Ireland confirmed: “The [Austin O’Connor] appeal was dismissed on the basis that the appeal was lodged outside of the time limits set out in the HSI Olympic Nomination Appeals Procedure.

“Sport Disputes Solutions Ireland fully accepted the point that was made about the importance of time limits in sports selection disputes in circumstances where there are burdens on national governing bodies to submit teams by the deadlines imposed by the International Olympic Committee and other international sporting organisations.

“The National Governing Bodies are themselves subject to very strict time limits and it is in that context that time limits are such a feature of this type of selection dispute,” said a HSI press statement.

“The matter is now concluded. The atmosphere in the squad is positive and focused on the task at hand with the eventing horses arriving in Aachen on Sunday. The process was fair and expediate, and it’s important to note that such processes are part of the high performance infrastructure,” concluded the HSI statement.

Austin O’Connor declined to comment yesterday (Friday) beyond saying, “We have to move forward. I have a job to do and my mind is completely on it.”

Raised in Senate

Earlier this week, Senator Fiona O’Loughlin (FF) raised in the Seanad the issue of no Irish dressage team selected for Tokyo. Senator O’Loughlin said: “I am really surprised to see that over the weekend Horse Sport Ireland made the decision not to have two competitors in dressage at the Tokyo Olympics. I understand there will be two competitors in Tokyo who could participate in this competition. This decision is completely wrong and should be investigated.’’

To which Senator Lisa Chambers (FF) replied: “It is disappointing that it has taken a decision not to enter two competitors in the Olympic dressage competition, given that they have qualified for the first time. I sincerely hope it will reconsider, as the issue has caused much public outrage.”

Chairperson of Dressage Ireland, Marguerite McSweeney, told The Irish Field: “It is a national and a international embarrassment that there is no Irish dressage team going to Tokyo.”

OFI statement

An OFI statement to The Irish Field reads: “In order to select athletes, the Olympic Federation of Ireland must receive a nomination from the National Federation, in this case Horse Sport Ireland.

“Horse Sport Ireland informed the OFI that it would not nominate a dressage team because there are no longer athletes who meet the standards set out in their published nominations policy. National Federations set entry requirements in line with performance objectives and agreed with their Boards – indeed from the point of view of Sport Ireland and ourselves, it is a vital aspect of governance for sporting organisations to complete. Once set, the only means for them being overturned is on appeal.

“The HSI decision was appealed but the case made by the appellants was not upheld by SDSI (Sport Dispute Solutions Ireland) – the Irish equivalent of the international sporting tribunal – the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The SDSI has ruled on this matter and found that the HSI applied its own policy correctly,” the OFI statement concluded.