June 21, 2010 — Bob Ellis of Great Britain has been appointed the jumping course designer for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The appointment of the British designer, who produced the courses for the 2009 Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships, was announced by the London 2012 Organizing Committee (LOCOG).
Ellis will be responsible for the courses for all the show jumping competitions and also for the jumping test of the eventing at the Olympic venue in Greenwich Park. He will be supported by an experienced international team which includes Kelvin Bywater and Stephen Renouard of Great Britain, Bernardo Costa Cabral of Portugal and Alan Wade of Ireland.
Working closely with LOCOG’s equestrian events manager Tim Hadaway, Ellis will develop design concepts for fences that showcase the themes of UK culture, London’s heritage and landmarks and the history of Greenwich itself. He will also oversee jumping courses for the test event in July 2011.
Ellis attained FEI International status as a course designer in 1989, and became an FEI Candidate International Judge in 1999. In 2004 he was appointed an Official International Course Designer by the FEI. He currently designs the courses at the British international shows at Hickstead, Olympia (the London International Horse Show), the Horse of the Year Show and British Open at Birmingham.
“The FEI welcomes the appointment of Bob Ellis as course designer for the London 2012 Olympic Games,” said FEI Director of Jumping John Roche. “Bob has proved his talent as a course designer at the top level of the sport, and it is wonderful that he is being given the opportunity to showcase that talent on home turf at the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian venue in Greenwich Park.”
