Equestrian: Todd positive on shortened event

Double Olympic gold medallist Mark Todd does not believe the three-day equestrian event at the 2004 Olympics will be downgraded by shortening the endurance phase.

The International Equestrian Federation yesterday proposed to chop three stages from the endurance event at Athens in a bid to stop the sport being cut out of the Olympic Games altogether.

The FEI said the shortened format - eliminating the steeplechase, roads and tracks - would halve land and cost requirements.

Todd, the 1984 and 1988 Olympic champion, who is now national eventing coach, said the Athens event probably needed to be shortened anyway because of the heat.

"I think it is much better keeping it in the Olympics in the shortened format than losing it altogether.

"For your average person, they never get to see the steeplechase and roads and tracks anyway, so as long as they have a decent [cross-country] course, which I'm sure they will, I don't look at it as downgrading at all."

Although New Zealand riders have traditionally excelled in the endurance phase of the sport, Todd said he did not think the shortened event would affect New Zealand's prospects in Athens.

The chief executive of the national equestrian federation, Larry Graham, said New Zealand did not see any need to change the competition format for Athens.

- NZPA