Olympic medalists David O’Connor and Lisa Wilcox are set to contribute their equestrian expertise to The HorseTV Channel’s coverage of the ultimate equestrian competition - the 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, Germany. O’Connor and Wilcox will deliver extensive interviews with top competitors and present feature stories, giving viewers a rare glimpse into behind-the-scenes action at the WEG. The Games take place from August 20 to September 3 and feature the world’s best horse-and-rider combinations in all seven equestrian disciplines.
“Lisa and David bring a high caliber of knowledge and experience to The HorseTV Channel’s historic coverage of the FEI World Equestrian Games that is certain to provide our viewers with unique and memorable insights,” said George Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of The HorseTV Channel.
O’Connor is a renowned eventing equestrian and the only American to compete in every WEG since its inception in 1990. He is perhaps best known for winning the United States’ first Gold medal in eventing in over a quarter century at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney with the best score in Olympic history. O’Connor’s illustrious career highlights numerous international wins, including three Olympic Medals – one of every color, two Pan American Games medals, and two World Championships. In 2002, O’Connor was named Rider of the Year by USA Equestrian (now the United States Equestrian Federation) and in 2003 was the only rider ever to receive the prestigious Wofford Cup awarded for contributions to the sport of eventing in a non-riding capacity. O’Connor is currently the president of the United States Equestrian Federation.
Lisa Wilcox sports a particularly impressive dressage resume with many prestigious wins, including a Team Bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, an Individual Silver medal at the open European Championships in Hickstead, Great Britain, and a Team Silver medal at the 2002 WEG in Jerez, Spain. Wilcox was the first American ever to reach the Top Ten of the world's best dressage riders.
The HorseTV Channel signed a groundbreaking, multi-year deal with the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), granting exclusive North American broadcast rights to the network for FEI events, including the prestigious FEI World Equestrian Games 2006. WEG is held every four years and includes all seven FEI disciplines – show jumping, dressage, vaulting, reining, driving, eventing and endurance - making it the supreme competition in the horse world, even superior to the Olympics. The HorseTV Channel’s agreement with the FEI is particularly significant as few of the FEI events have ever been broadcast outside of the European host country, making the network’s coverage of the entire two weeks of the Games the most comprehensive in United States history.
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