(Reuters) - Olympic medallist Zara Tindall, the eldest granddaughter of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, has become the first member of the royal family to be appointed to the Cheltenham Racecourse committee, the Jockey Club announced on Thursday.
Tindall, 38, a silver medallist in team eventing at the 2012 London Olympics, was appointed to the non-executive role of director and will help the chairman and executive in operating the racecourse.
She is set to begin her new role on Jan. 1, 2020.
"I'm passionate about horse racing, particularly on the jumps side and the absolute pinnacle of that is Cheltenham," Tindall said in a statement on The Jockey Club website https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/media/press-releases/2019/11/zara-tindall-mbe-to-become-cheltenham-racecourse-director.
"Racing is simply the most exciting sport and it's open to all. It's an honour... to get involved in a more formal capacity and I look forward to doing my bit to support the executive team in the years to come."
Tindall, who won a gold medal in the 2006 eventing world championships in Aachen, Germany, will also help to promote Britain's equestrian team ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)