the 2024 games They will not be the first to convene jointly Europe and Oceania. Because most of the events will be in Paris or other French cities – the classic transfer of football now, the first stage of basketball in Lille or sailing on the Provençal coast – and the surfing will be on the Polynesian beach of Tihaupua, in the French overseas territory of Tahiti. in 1956For a completely different reason, Melbourne Games They had it as a sub-headquarters Stockholm. An African equine disease epidemic prevented horses from traveling to Australia, so the Swedish capital hosted the country Equestrian tests…five months before the torch was lit.
This event had a decisive impact on Spanish participation, as the national representation at those XVI Olympiad was reduced to the equestrian pairs that traveled to Sweden in June. Competitions began in Melbourne at the end of November, in the southern summer, but the Soviet Union invaded Hungary at the beginning of the month to crush Hungary. Imre Nagy’s editorial revolution. Spainnext to Swiss And HollandHe demanded the exclusion of the Soviets, and decided in the face of the rejection of the International Olympic Committee Boycott games.
However, at the end of that spring, there were no political reasons to deny eligible riders their participation in the Olympic Games, so Spain rode to Stockholm with the smallest delegation in its history: Six knights With their respective holders to compete in tryouts Jumping and full competition, whether individual or group. They did not travel without ambition, as the Nations Cup added two medals to Spain’s until then meager medal tally, gold in Amsterdam 1928 and silver in London twenty years later. Although there is no metal this time, A trio of obstacles Sign A Honorable sixth place This earned him the Olympic Diploma, a recognition that has been awarded since 1949.
The first to jump on the grass of the old Hulme Stadium which hosted the Games in 1912 were the full competition pairs. Jaime Nogueras, Faustino Dominguez and Hernan Espinosa They finished a very difficult equestrian triathlon, but they could not avoid finishing 18th and last in the teams, nor did they shine individually, with the best being Nogueiras, on the mare “Thalia”, in 49th place out of 56 participants. Jumpers Carlos Lopez, Paco Goiwaja and Carlos Figueroa They managed to qualify to the final of the top 45 teams, and even competed against the best, the top two in the preliminary rounds, to occupy a creditable 14th and 15th places, which was added to the aforementioned team diploma, ahead of powers like France or Sweden.
The Spanish equestrian team did not extend its Olympic record in Stockholm until it claimed both medals. Beatrice Ferrer-Slat In dressage in Athens 2004, bronze alone and silver in teams Juan Antonio Jiménez, Rafael Soto and Ignacio Rambla. In vaulting style, the 1948 medalists still have no successors, and the trend does not seem to be broken next summer in Paris. But for those lucky people who were in Sweden, the important thing was to participate.
