EQUESTRIAN sports are to get full financial backing from the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) for the first time. Although no specific amount was allocated to equestrian sports at Wednesday night's OCI executive meeting chairman Pat Hickey stated yesterday that the OCI will be offering 100 per cent backing for what is viewed as a "definite medal source".
OCI funding in previous years has been limited to riders' expenses, but travel costs for the horses which are expected to amount to £110,000 will be covered for the Atlanta drip. Fund raising efforts have already produced £55,000, and Michael Stone, the secretary general of the Irish Equestrian Federation is hopeful that the OCI and the Department of Agriculture will cover the remainder of the 30,000 overall bill.
"We need detailed costings from Michael Stone," Hickey said yesterday, "but we were afraid to allocate an amount that would be insufficient. We don't just want to make a token gesture we want to do it properly because we see great medal prospects in equestrian sports.
A final decision on the level of OCI funding for Ireland's show jumping, eventing and dressage contenders will be made following a meeting with Stone towards the end of next week.
Meanwhile Irish blood was to the fore at the Badminton three day event yesterday, with three Irish breds heading the field after the fist day of dressage.
America's David O'Connor produced the winning test from the 11 year old Custom Made, a son of Bassompierre which O'Connor bought after seeing Aaron Mannion ride him at the 1994 European young riders championships in Blenheim. The new combination won their first three day outing at Lexington 12 months ago, but disaster struck at the open European championships in Rome last September with an unscheduled dismount on the cross country and then elimination after three stops in the show jumping.
The partnership is now back on song, claims the American, who says having a surname like O'Connor means he would have to ride an Irish bred horse.
Injury prone Lucinda Murray is lying second with Just Jeremy, a 14 year old by Chou Chin Chow than missed last year's Badminton after his jockey broke her right shoulder in two places and her wrist in a fall three weeks before the fixture. A further fall in August broke Murray's collar bone into three pieces, and pins were inserted the following month.
The OCI has also announced that, in addition to the normal block grant aid given to the national sports federations and to the funding under the Olympic Aid Atlanta scheme for full time prospective medalists, there is a further grant aid allocation of £63,000 to assist 17 athletes in their Olympic preparation.
