AUSTRALIA TO SPEND MORE ON HIGH PERFORMANCE EQUESTRIAN SPORTS |

SYDNEY, Aug. 27?Australia will spend more on high performance Olympic equestrian disciplines and up-and-coming horse and rider combination and develop a European base to support athletes abroad.

The new program for Equestrian Australia?s high performance program was based on?additional federal taxpayer funding through the Australian Sports Commission.

In addition to increased benefits for elite level competitors, Equestian Australia said ?the program will now better capture up-and-coming athletes and horses through talent identification programs for the Olympic/Paralympic disciplines and will now also include non-Olympic disciplines.?

Grant Baldock, Chief Executive Officer of EA, said?the new program will seek to strengthen the existing solid foundations as the sport gears up for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

?As we look to the future, we recognised the need to create a centralized national pathway to better support our athletes, both at home and abroad, as well as to incorporate our non-Olympic disciplines into the framework,? he said.

?While the centralized national pathway will provide added support to all athletes, from the ??developing? ?to the ?world-class? athlete, it will also extend to better support our owners, vets and team staff who all have a vital role to play in achieving excellence.?

Among the highlights of the new program:

? ?Increase financial support to Olympic discipline elite athletes;

? Develop a European training base to better support athletes participating?overseas;

? Provide a centralized support program to all?Olympic/Paralympic disciplines across Australia and abroad;

? Expand High Performance squads to more than 250 athletes fromt the current 80 athletes, and

? Create a national talent identification program across all disciplines.

The Equestrian Australia High Performance Program ?Roadmap to success? 2011-2016, is available on?www.equestrian.org.au

Source: http://www.dressage-news.com/?p=12727

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