Equestrian body backs format changes for 2020 Tokyo Games

TOKYO (AP) - The International Equestrian Federation has voted in favor of Olympic format changes that will allow more countries to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Under the proposals backed by the FEI general assembly, national teams of rider-and-horse combinations will be reduced from four to three, and so-called "drop scores" will be scrapped.

Currently, only a team's best three scores count in eventing and jumping, with the fourth-best score dropped from its result.

FEI President Ingmar De Vos says the new format will let more nations qualify within equestrian's Olympic quota of 200 athletes.

Team jumping would increase to 20 nations from the 15 that competed at the Rio de Janeiro Games.

Eleven national federations opposed the moves at the FEI meeting in Tokyo. They included traditional powers France, Germany and New Zealand.

The proposed format requires approval from the IOC executive board next year.