A is for
Heidi Antikatzidis, Greece’s first ever representative in Olympic eventing on whom many national hopes will rest – she rides as an individual on Michaelmas who was placed sixth in the Sydney Olympics in 2000
B is for
Chris Bartle, Britain’s most successful Olympic dressage rider (sixth in Los Angeles on Wily Trout), former eventing team member and dressage trainer at the Sydney Olympics. He now trains the German eventing team;
Yogi Breisner, a member of the Swedish eventing team at the 1984 Olympics and appointed in 2000 as popular and successful performance manager of the British eventing team, on which heavy expectations lie;
Simon Brooks-Ward, the director of the Royal Windsor Horse Show and Olympia, who was drafted in as equestrian consultant in January, a multi-tasking role ranging from crisis management to medal ceremonies; his brother Nick Brooks-Ward will be the English-speaking commentator throughout the Olympics.
C is for
Stephen Clarke, the first British-born dressage judge at an Olympics, who has progressed through judging at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, three European Championships and two World Cup finals. A member of the FEI Dressage Committee, he is a former eventer who switched disciplines and was reserve for the Seoul Olympics in 1988 on Beckett;
The control team at the nucleus of cross-country day, headed by British Badminton commentator Giles Rowsell, with Richard Clapham.
D is for
Germany’s Werner Deeg, chief FEI steward for the show jumping.
E is for
Ferdi Eilberg, former member of the British dressage team who has now been appointed its acting performance manager. His team’s first major success was winning European team bronze at Hickstead last year;
Mike Etherington-Smith, international cross-country course-designer who produced the course for the Sydney Olympics. He has the major — and arguably less enjoyable – role of technical delegate, with responsibility for ensuring that the eventing competition is run in accordance with FEI standards.
F is for
Paul Farrington, former British team vet and regular Badminton vet who will be officiating in Athens with special responsibility on cross-country day;
François Ferland, French ground jury member for show jumping.
G is for
Italy’s Albino Garbari, an apparently reclusive cross-country course-designer who has been resident designer at the equestrian centre at Pratoni del Vivaro for many years. He produced exciting courses at the 1995 Open Europeans and 1998 World Games, as well as at many junior and young rider championships. Designing the course for Athens is his first major assignment outside Italy;
Leonidas Georgopoulos, Greek member of the Athens show jumping ground jury and FEI Jumping Committee;
Kurt Gravemeier, hugely influential trainer of the all-conquering German show jumping team, which has won gold every time since 1992.
H is for
Dr Bo Helander, secretary general of the FEI since 1995, he is a former show jumper for his home country, Sweden, and a keen holder of bloodstock interests in Sweden and Ireland;
Christoph Hess, a Warendorf-based German dressage rider and experienced four-star judge who will be president of the eventing ground jury in Athens. He is also a member of the FEI Eventing Committee;
Sven Holmberg, German president of the show jumping ground jury in Athens and deputy chairman of the FEI Jumping Committee.
I is for
The Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbón, a member of the Spanish royal family who succeeded the Princess Royal in 1994 as president of the FEI. She was elected a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1996. She competed in her youth, has hunted in Portugal, France and Belgium and has been involved in promoting eventing in Spain. She is president of the Spanish Federation and a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee. She has always been interested in promoting equestrianism and since she became FEI president the number of new national federations has considerably increased. She was instrumental in getting the “short format” adopted for the Olympic eventing competition.
J is for
The president of the veterinary commission in Athens, Professor Leo Jeffcott, dean of the veterinary school at Cambridge University. His many research credentials include dealing with the effects of heat and humidity on horses in Atlanta prior to the Olympics in 1996;
Jon Jonsson, former member of the Swedish eventing team and now its team manager.
K is for
Nikolas Karidis, a member of Greece’s organising team since the Games were awarded to Athens.
He acts as competition manager in Athens, with responsibility for the technical side;
Finland’s Kyra Kyrklund, who will be representing her country in dressage on Andiamo Tyme while simultaneously training the Swedes. Last year’s European silver medallist Jan Brink, on Bjorsell’s Briar, is her greatest training success;
Beatrice Buerchler-Keller, Belgian judge making her Olympic debut in Athens on the dressage ground jury.
L is for
The show jumping technical delegate Leopoldo Palacios, the flamboyant handlebar-moustachioed Venezuelan course-designer who produced the show jumping track in Sydney and is immensely popular in North America, especially at Spruce Meadows;
Pia Laus-Schneider, an Italian team dressage rider married to a German and living in Germany, who is rider representative on the FEI Dressage Committee;
John Ledingham, ex-army show jumper who won the Hickstead Derby three times on Kilbaha and is now performance manager to the Irish equestrian team.
M is for
Eddie Macken, 1982 world silver medallist who last jumped for Ireland at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and has come through a stormy period to act as team trainer to the Irish; Kostas Memorides, educated in England at Millfield, this Greek show jumper and organiser of the Athens CSIO was brought into the Olympic equation in January as venue manager;
Italy’s multi-lingual former eventer Lucia Montanarella, who will act as international press advisor, having worked at the Rome and the Jerez World Equestrian Games and the Sydney Olympics;
chef d’equipe of the US show jumping team Katie Monaghan-Prudon, a former Olympic rider who now represents France through her marriage.
N is for
Catrin Norinder, the FEI’s Swedish-born eventing and Olympic manager who formerly studied and evented in Switzerland, came to the FEI to work part-time in 1987 and stayed ever since. Speaks five languages and was heavily involved in the battle to keep eventing in the Olympic movement.
O is for
Helen Cantillon-O’Keefe, former chairman of selectors and now chef d’equipe of the Irish eventing team. A regular at Badminton in the 1970s and a member of Ireland’s gold medal team at the 1979 Europeans on Wing Forward — many of her horses had rugby-related names.
P is for
the show jumping course-designer, Germany’s Olaf Petersen, a star of his profession and trend-setter who introduced themed courses, memorably in Seoul with dragons and temples to reflect Korean culture — so expect some Greek architecture on his Athens tracks. Also chairman of the FEI jumping committee.
Q is for
Queen Sofia of Greece;
Lt Arthur Quist, from the 1936 Norwegian eventing team.
R is for
Bert Romp, long-time trainer of the Dutch show jumping team that was, until last week, leading the Super League. His squad won individual gold and silver in Sydney;
Gillian Rolton, the first Australian woman to win an Olympic equestrian medal, at Barcelona — she gained a second gold in eventing in Atlanta on the same horse, Peppermint Grove — and is now a selector;
Wayne Roycroft, double Olympic bronze medallist (1968 and 1976) and chairman of the FEI Eventing Committee who fought hard for the sport staying in the Olympics. He is coach and meticulous strategist of the mighty Australian team which won three successive golds under his auspices;
the Netherlands’ team dressage trainer Bert Rutten, whose quartet is defending its Sydney Olympic individual gold (Anky van Grunsven) and team silver — an Olympic team medallist himself and influential trainer, breeder and producer of 13 grand prix horses;
Derek Ricketts, performance manager for British show jumping. A hunter judge and former top-class show jumper, he was a member of the team that won the World Championships in 1978.
S is for
Holger Schmezer, a Bereiter and superlative trainer of the invincible German dressage team, which has been unbeaten since time immemorial;
Freddy Serpieri, the Greek vice-president of the FEI.
T is for
Hugh Thomas, whose Olympic roles have included course-designer in Seoul and technical delegate and who, crucially, helped ensure the safety of the Atlanta Olympics. He has been appointed Jury of Appeal;
international rider, trainer and judge Angela Tucker, who has officiated at all the world’s four-star events and takes on her biggest judging assignment to date as a member of the eventing ground jury;
Thierry Touzaint, uncle of the reigning European eventing champion Nicolas and trainer of the ever-improving French team, which has won team silvers in the last three championships, plus a world title (Jean Teulere).
U is for
Ulla Salzgeber, top German dressage rider who won team gold and individual bronze in Sydney and is the reigning European Champion on Rusty.
V is for
Holland’s Francis Verbeek-Von Rooy, a member of the ground jury for dressage in Athens and making her Olympic judging debut.
W is for
FEI chief steward Paul Weier, a former top show jumper for Switzerland who rode in the Tokyo, Mexico and Munich Olympics. He now designs show jumping courses and acts as technical director at many three-day events;
Belgium’s Mariette Withages, a judge for 30 years and president of the dressage ground jury as well as the FEI Dressage Committee. She has been at the forefront of developments in the sport, most notably the popularisation of the kür;
Cara Witham, a Canadian dressage rider who has acted on the ground jury for eventing for many four-star events, including the 2002 World Games in
Jerez, Spain.
X is for
Xenophon (444-359BC), Athenian general, historian and the father
of all horsemanship.
Y is for
Jean-Yves Touzaint, father of Nicolas, a member of the French Olympic team in 1976;
Capt Morishige Yamamoto, a member of the Japanese Olympic team in 1932;
Capt Eyub Yigiturk, a member of the Turkish team in 1948.
Z is for
Zeus, king of the Greek Gods, who surveyed Athens from his home on Mount Olympus;
Constantin Zahei, member of Romania’s 1936 eventing team. H&H
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