Irish Equestrian Athletes wear yellow for Tiggy at Tokyo 2020

Irish equestrian athletes across all disciplines will wear a yellow ribbon during competition in commemoration of the loss of a highly talented young Irish athlete who tragically suffered a fatal incident in June. Tiggy Hancock (15) was known across all equestrian disciplines and was a respected member of the Irish Pony High-Performance Eventing Programme. She was a shining star that would have been a promising Olympian of the future. At the young age of 15, Tiggy had already made a mark on the sport and was one to watch whenever she competed, against both senior and youth athletes.

The late Tiggy Hancock pictured in 2019 during Pony Eventing Europeans Final Training at Orchard Lodge in Calverstown, Kildare. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile *** NO REPRODUCTION FEE ***

Tiggy was well-liked among both junior and senior members of the Irish equestrian family as well as the international equestrian community and her passing has been mourned by all. The colour yellow for the ribbon was selected by the Hancock family as this was Tiggy’s favourite colour and a symbol of the person she was; a bright, bubbly, shining ray of
sunshine. Tiggy’s warm nature was felt by everybody in her presence and the yellow ribbon is a reminder of her beautiful nature.

Speaking about the announcement, Joe Reynolds, acting CEO of Horse Sport Ireland stated:

“We would like to thank the International Olympic Council (IOC) and the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) for allowing the Irish equestrian athletes to wear this mark of respect and show their support to the Hancock family during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”