Alec Lochore handed key London 2012 eventing job

Alec Lochore is to manage eventing at London 2012

Lochore also organises Blair Castle horse trials in Scotland

Alec Lochore has been appointed as the eventing manager for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The 38-year-old, from Norfolk, will work with London Organising Committee equestrian manager Tim Hadaway to deliver the event at Greenwich Park.

Lochore told BBC Radio Norfolk: "It's a great honour to be involved in your home Olympics.

"I was never going to manage to be an athlete at them so it's the next best thing," he added.

Lochore said: "I was delighted, I was actually standing in the middle of a field when I got the phonecall, I was very pleasantly surprised.

"Then it dawned on me that I've got quite a big task. We're going in there to a completely greenfield site to organise something that's never happened before."

Lochore has developed events in Norfolk at Burnham Market and Houghton Hall, attracting the sport's biggest names including Mark Todd, William Fox-Pitt and Mary King.

Lochore believes the success of those events probably helped him get the job, but is keen to stress he is not the only person involved.

"It's helped, and I've got a brilliant team at both of those events, so working in a team environment is going to be crucial in London," he said

"One of my first tasks is to build the team, we've got a test event next summer which is our first focus in early July, there's plenty to be getting on with.

A successful eventing rider himself, Lochore was appointed the chairman of British Eventing's safety committee in 2009 and is a technical delegate for the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).

After organising events in Norfolk he is delighted to be based just across the Thames from the main Olympic park.

"It's fantastic that the equestrian events are in such a key central part of the Olympic games, quite often we're half an hour or an hour outside of the particular city," he said.

"To be just 12 or 15 minutes on the Docklands Light Railway from the Olympic Stadium and the athlete's village is going to be absolutely fantastic.

"We're going to be right in the middle of it and hopefully it will give lots of people exposure to our sport."