He’s not an American, but Alan Wade spends a lot of time in the U.S.
So he will be a very familiar face as the show jumping course designer for the 2028 Olympics at Santa Anita. The Irishman laid out the routes for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2017 in Omaha and the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon, N.C. He has Olympic mileage, too, as the assistant course designer at the London 2012 Olympic Games alongside Bob Ellis.
At LA28, Alan joins Alec Lochore of Great Britain, who has been named the cross-country course designer. Sad not to have U.S. designers in those roles. but that would seem to point to a dearth of U.S. officials at the level required for an Olympics.
Alan Wade grew up immersed in equestrian sport and began designing his first tracks at age 12 at the local gymkhanas in County Tipperary. He is the son of jumping great Tommy Wade, part of Ireland’s winning Aga Khan Cup team in 1963 and 1967 aboard the legendary Dundrum.
In 2009, Alan began designing in the main arena of the Dublin Horse Show for the first time. Since then, he has officiated in Dublin over a dozen times. He has designed in Rotterdam, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Lisbon, and Rabat. His reputation for excellence has crossed the Atlantic and his popularity has grown in North America. Currently, the majority of his designs are created for shows in the United States alongside some in Canada and Mexico.
“I would like to congratulate Alan Wade on his appointment as the Jumping Course Designer for the Olympic Games LA28,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “This is a crucial role for the success of equestrian in Los Angeles and I’m convinced that we have made the right choice. Alan Wade is hugely experienced and has a profound understanding of the sport. He is well known for his subtle designs, which are challenging but set a fair test for the athletes and the horses and reward skill and horsemanship. I’m looking forward to world class Jumping at the LA28 Olympic Games.”
“I am honored and grateful to accept the role of Jumping Course Designer for the Olympic Games LA28,” Alan said. “I would like to thank the FEI Board and Olympic Games LA28 Organising Committee for entrusting me with the important role of creating the courses and fence designs. I look forward to designing courses that produce good competition and present our sport in the best way possible on the world stage that is the Olympic Games.”