The Olympics are about to kick off – and “it’s getting very exciting” as the equestrian event venue near Paris prepares to welcome competitors this week.
H&H spoke to British Equestrian’s (BEF) head of performance support Amanda Evans and head of operations and logistics Sophie Thomas on Monday (22 July), as the British Olympic event horses were on their way to France on LeShuttle. They were set to stay in private stabling to break up the journey, before heading to the venue at Versailles when the stables open on Wednesday (24 July).
One of the British trucks arrives in France. Credit: LeShuttle.
Ms Evans and Ms Thomas were among the support team that had travelled ahead to Paris, to prepare for the Brits’ arrivals.
“We’ve been busy setting everything up ready for the arrival of the team, so it’s getting very exciting now and all feels very real,” said Ms Evans. “It is a beautiful setting.”
Ms Thomas added: “I had boots on the ground at the Versailles venue yesterday [Sunday], and it’s looking amazing, it’s an incredible venue. To go from essentially a greenfield site, to what they’ve built now is incredible, because everything is temporary, but it looks as if [the organisers] have thought of everything.
“There are loads of wash bays and cooling opportunities – it ticks all the boxes for horses. The arenas are all down and look amazing. The stable barns were noticeably cooler when you walked into them from outside.”
She added that the British riders will be staying outside the Olympic Village “purely based on travel time”, and are instead in a hotel around 25 minutes from the venue. The grooms will be staying on-site in a hotel, which opened two months ago, and in chalets or in their lorries.
“On Wednesday, when everybody is at the venue, and the horses arrive, and all the athletes are there, it will just explode into life,” said Ms Thomas.
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