United States Eventing Association

First Ever Equestrian Wins USOPC General Douglas MacArthur Award

The United States Olympic Endowment announced the recipients of its three awards that were presented during the annual awards ceremony on December 8 at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dara Torres, Olympic swimming champion, was the recipient of the George M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award; Bob Beamon, Olympic and world record holder in the long jump, was recognized with the William E. Simon Award; and equestrian David O’Connor was the honoree of the General Douglas MacArthur Award. Each of these individuals will be honored for their commitment and contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

One of the most successful athletes ever to compete in three-day eventing, David O’Connor has also become one of the most dynamic and respected leaders in the history of U.S. equestrian sport. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and to athletes. O’Connor served as the President of US Equestrian for eight years, leading the organization’s key strategic initiatives and growth from 2004-2012. O’Connor served two terms as President and transitioned into a Technical Advisor role on the administrative side of the sport. He worked with the Canadian Equestrian Federation for several years before transitioning into a similar role for the U.S. Eventing Team in 2013, which he held until 2017. In 2018, he became chair of the FEI Eventing Committee, leading and participating in global administration, governance, and safety initiatives in the sport.The Douglas MacArthur award is given to an individual who has exhibited exemplary service to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and to athletes.

“David has represented the equestrian community, both in competition as an athlete, and in governance as a leader, with confidence and complete dedication, always putting the best interests of our sport at the forefront of everything he does,” said Bill Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of US Equestrian. “He is most deserving of this recognition and his devotion to ensuring the continued success of the equestrian disciplines has been instrumental in the shaping our community and sport here in the United States and around the world.”

The USOE was established by the USOC (now the USOPC) in 1984 to administer and invest the corpus of endowed funds that resulted from the surplus of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984. A nonprofit organization, its objective is to support the USOPC and its member organizations, with the overall aim of enhancing Olympic and Paralympic sports in the United States. A separate entity from the USOPC, the USOE’s net assets have grown to approximately $259 million, while awarding grants to the USOPC and its member organizations totaling $350 million over the last 37 years.