Eric Lamaze is among the five showjumpers shortlisted to represent Canada individually at the Tokyo Olympics.
Last week Equestrian Canada announced the riders bidding for the one individual showjumping space available at the Games. Also on the list are Erynn Ballard, Mario Deslauriers, Tiffany Foster and Amy Millar.
Three of team Canada’s 2016 Rio Olympic squad are on the roster; Eric, Tiffany and Amy. If selected, Tokyo will be 53-year-old Eric’s fourth Games. He won individual gold and team silver at Beijing in 2008, was part of the London 2012 squad with Tiffany, and took individual bronze at Rio in 2016.
Mario, 56, represented Team Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and the 1988 Seoul Games alongside Amy’s father Ian Millar, and was part of the 2018 World Equestrian Games squad in Tryon, USA, with Eric and Erynn.
An Equestrian Canada spokesman said the Canadian Olympic committee will submit the definite entry to the Olympic Games organising committee on or before 5 July.
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Tokyo dream ended for Canadian showjumpers by appeal ruling
Canada’s last hope of fielding a showjumping team at this summer’s Olympics has been quashed in a ruling by the
Tokyo Olympic place lost after rider unknowingly used teabag containing cocaine
The rider took what she thought was green tea from the breakfast area of the hotel
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The Canadian showjumping team lost its team place at the Tokyo Games after rider Nicole Walker tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine at the 2019 Pan American Games. Nicole was disqualified at a PanAm Sports disciplinary committee hearing in December 2019, meaning the team dropped from fourth to seventh place, and lost their Olympic qualification.
The Argentinian team, which originally finished fifth, were promoted to fourth following the amended result and took the Tokyo spot.
Nicole, who has always denied taking any illicit drugs, and EC appealed the decision. In an arbitral award, released this week, a Court of Arbitration for Sport panel said it accepted that the positive sample was caused by Nicole’s unknowingly using a teabag containing cocaine, provided by her hotel, but the disqualification stands.
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