Olympic equestrian venue approved after concerns

[July 19, 2012]  LONDON (AP) -- The Olympic equestrian venue has been approved by the sport's international federation after the surface was changed following complaints by riders at last year's test event.

The International Equestrian Federation has cleared the all-weather surface at Greenwich Park after a group of its officials assessed the new footing.

Debbie Jevans, the London organizing committee's director of sport, says "the contractors and our own team have done a great job to get the makeup of the surface right."

Riders and officials initially said the surface wasn't right at the 2011 test event, while near-constant rain in London in the buildup to the games added to the problem.

Organizers say a new binding substance has been added to the sand and fiber mixture.

[Associated Press]

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