Irish Show Jumping manager Rodrigo Pessoa and team members to pay tribute to late Tommy Wade at this weekend’s Nations Cup in La Baule
- 14 May 2018, 13:00
In a mark of respect to Tommy Wade who passed away in the early hours of this morning (Monday) aged 80. the Irish Show Jumping team will wear black armbands in this Sunday’s Longines FEI Nations Cup at La Baule in France.
One of Show Jumping’s all time greats, Tipperary’s Tommy Wade won Nations Cup and Grand Prix competitions all over the world and was most famous for his partnership with the horse Dundrum. Later as Irish Chef d’Equipe, Tommy Wade helped Ireland to over 30 Nations Cup victories and was the Chef d’Equipe when Ireland claimed a gold medal at the European Championships in 2001 and at the World Equestrian Games in 2002 when Dermott Lennon won individual gold.
Last August at the Dublin Horse Show, Wade was presented with a Horse Sport Ireland Hall of Fame Award and received a specially commissioned medal from current Irish Chef d’Equipe and three-time Olympic medallist with Brazil, Rodrigo Pessoa.
Speaking today Pessoa said:
“Myself and the Irish team are very sorry to hear today of the passing of Tommy Wade. He was a monument of the Irish team as a rider and great leader as Chef d’Equipe. Tommy has a huge amount of respect from all our team and this weekend in La Baule, the Irish team will wear black armbands as a mark of respect to Tommy. We will do everything in our power to win on Sunday in honour of him.”
Horse Sport Ireland CEO Ronan Murphy also paid tribute to Tommy Wade and said:
“On behalf of Horse Sport Ireland, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Tommy’s family and the many friends he made all over the globe. He represented Ireland with distinction as a rider and was an incredibly gifted horseman. His record as Chef d’Equipe of the Irish team is phenomenal, not least in 1999/2000 when Tommy led Ireland to 10 Nations Cup wins in one season. He was a true legend of the sport.”
Ireland squad named for Longines FEI Nations Cup at La Baule in France
Following an impressive runner-up finish in the opening round of the Longines FEI Nations Cup series at Samorin in Slovakia a fortnight ago, the Irish Show Jumping team return to action this Sunday at La Baule in France.
Irish team manager Rodrigo Pessoa has named a five man squad for the French Division 1 five-star fixture. The Irish squad, sponsored by The Underwriting Exchange and Devenish, for the La Baule Nations Cup is as follows:
Louth’s Mark McAuley with Utchan De Belheme – owned by Charlotte McAuley
Galway’s Michael Duffy with EFS Top Contender – owned by Graham & Ben Dalton
Mayo’s Cameron Hanley with Quirex – owned by Patrick Mielnik
Limerick’s Paul O’Shea with Skara Glen’s Machu Picchu – owned by Skara Glen’s Stables, Whipstick Farm, P. Hurter & P. Agnew
Cork’s Shane Sweetnam with Indra Van De Oude Heihoef – owned by The Blue Buckle Group
Speaking ahead of what is Ireland;s second of five points-scoring opportunities in Europe Division 1, Irish team manager Rodrigo Pessoa said:
“We were happy with the result in the last round in Samorin. We are looking forward to La Baule and hoping to score more points before we have a break ahead of the next round in Falsterbo.”
Eight teams will do battle in La Baule, with Ireland, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland and France eligible for points, while Canada and Brazil will also take part.
Following this weekend’s round in La Baule, Ireland’s remaining points-scoring Nations Cup rounds will come at Falsterbo (SWE), Hickstead (GBR) and Ireland’s home Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show in August where the Aga Khan trophy will be up for grabs.
The Irish Show Jumping Team is sponsored by The Underwriting Exchange and Devenish
Equiline – Official athlete clothing supplier of Team Ireland Equestrian
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