Tokyo Olympics: Heartbreak 2.0 for Hong Kong showjumper Kenneth Cheng as CAS ruling overturns quota spot
- Hong Kong Equestrian Federation notified it will now take up reserve slots in individual and team showjumping categories after Sri Lankan rider’s qualification reinstated
- Hong Kong riders to continue to focus on certificate of capability scores ahead of postponed Games; eventing qualification spot still locked in
Hong Kong has lost a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games quota spot in equestrian showjumping after the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) retroactively overruled an International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) decision.
The move last week comes after CAS upheld Sri Lankan rider Mathilda Karlsson’s appeal against the FEI’s annulling of results from competitions in Villeneuve-Loubet, France in January 2020, in which Karlsson’s Olympics qualification points were not counted. Karlsson subsequently dropped out of the individual showjumping slot quota, where the top two athletes from the prearranged regional group could earn additional slots for their respective countries.
As of December 2019, Jasmine Chen Shao-Man of Taiwan and Karlsson led the way in Group G (Southeast Asia and Oceania). However, in February 2020 – one month before the one-year postponement of the Games – the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation (HKEF) was informed that organisers would not count points accrued at the three-week French event.
Upon hearing the good news, Hong Kong – like surrounding qualified international set-ups – restricted travel and competition to focus on preparing for the second of two steps required for qualification: earning the so-called certificate of capability (CoC) for a final “confirmation result”. The Covid-19 pandemic also hugely affected movements.
With the original cut-off deadline for riders qualifying for the Games set at June 21, 2020, Cheng and teammates were naturally aiming for CoC, a mechanism unique to the sport to prove horses’ latest results. After the Games were postponed, the FEI readjusted the deadline to June 21, 2021, meaning riders wishing to qualify would need to update their CoC scores.
The HKEF and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong were informed of the appeal’s upholding on April 21. The changes are visible in FEI’s public records.
Olympic Committee deputy secretary general Wong Po-kee said they would discuss with the HKEF to see if any further action could be taken. “We will study the CAS decision first and, if possible, identify any other ways to get Hong Kong riders back in the Tokyo Olympics after discussion with the HKEF,” said Wong.
The HKEF confirmed that the ruling means Hong Kong has only one individual athlete-horse combination confirmed in the eventing discipline.
The HKEF said it was not prepared to comment given their lack of direct involvement in the case and continuing uncertainties relating to the pandemic. However, it confirmed that athletes are nonetheless preparing to the best of their abilities.
Hong Kong now takes up the first reserve slot in Group G for both individual and team showjumping categories.
Cheng’s second-place finish in the Olympic qualifying group had initially helped Hong Kong to extra spots, despite the team not qualifying for the team event. Other showjumpers competing for a spot in Tokyo include Jacqueline Lai Ching-man, Raena Leung Hou-ling and Clarissa Lyra.
Showjumping is scheduled to take place at the Beji Koen Equestrian Park in August 3-4, with 75 quota places available across different regional groups. There are 200 quota places in equestrian for Tokyo 2020.
