EQUESTRIAN:Billy Twomey and Denis Lynch, the riders who secured two places for Ireland in the show jumping competition at the Olympics Games, have been nominated to the Olympic Council of Ireland by Horse Sport Ireland.

The pair were selected by show jumping team manager Robert Splaine. Cork-born Twomey, who is based in Cheshire, will compete with Edwin and Sue Davies’s 14-year-old chestnut mare Tinka’s Serenade while Germany-based Lynch has been selected with the year-younger Abbervail van het Dingeshof.

The Belgian Warmblood gelding is owned by the Tipperary native’s main supporter, Swiss pharmaceutical industrialist Thomas Straumann.

Horse Sport Ireland chief executive Damian McDonald said while it was important to have success at the Games, it was vital there were no infringements of anti-doping or medication regulations at the event. “Since 2008 a number of measures have been put in place to address what happened at the 2004 and 2008 Games.

“Since 2008 over 300 horses ridden by Irish riders have been tested during . . . competitions by the FEI and all have tested negative which is as it should be,” he said.

“The OCI /HSI monitoring group met with the riders in Dublin airport on Monday to ensure all possible further safeguards are put in place.

The five riders who have been selected for the eventing competition at the Games will be announced this morning.