FORMER Olympic show jumping champion Eric Lamaze of Canada has withdrawn from consideration for the upcoming Olympic Games, scheduled to take place from July 23rd to August 8th in Tokyo, Japan.

With three Olympic medals to his credit – gold, silver and bronze, Lamaze is Canada’s most successful equestrian Olympic athlete.

He was one of five named for the Canadian Olympic short list and is currently the highest-ranked Canadian in the world standings. Canada is eligible to send just one individual to contest show jumping events at this summer’s Olympics.

Lamaze cites his personal health as a primary reason for his decision to withdraw from competing in Tokyo, which is currently under a state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For the past three years, he has been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor and continues to battle the condition with the support of his medical teams in Brussels, Belgium, and Paris, France.

“My health is something that I take very seriously, and I’ve decided that Tokyo is not the best venue for me,” said Lamaze (53). “While my health is stable at the moment, there are several risk factors that have to be taken into consideration.”

In making the difficult decision to withdraw from Olympic consideration, Lamaze had the full support of Mark and Tara Rein who own Lamaze’s top horse, Dieu Merci van T & L.

Lamaze is looking forward to next year’s World Championships (August 6th to 14th 2022 in Denmark) where Team Canada will be going all out to earn qualification for the Paris Olympics 2024.