Tragedy struck the Asian Games yesterday when an experienced South Korean equestrian rider died after his horse threw him from the saddle then crushed him underfoot.

The horse, Bundaberg Black, hit a fence and stumbled, tossing Kim Hyung-chil to the ground during the individual cross country competition. The mare fell on top of him and the Seoul resident, 47, never regained consciousness.

He was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead soon after. The horse survived with no noticeable injury.

"We have opened a formal inquiry into this tragic accident. I don't want to speculate on the results of that inquiry until it is completed," said Chris Hodson, vice-president of the International Equestrian Federation.

"To my knowledge it is the first time this has happened at the Asian Games."

Kim was an experienced rider and had won a gold medal on Wednesday in the dressage event. He had competed in Olympic Games and was a silver medallist at the last Asiad in Busan, South Korea, four years ago.

Chef-de-mission of the Korean team, Kim Young-hwan, said the whole Korean squad was in shock.

"I'm in shock and feel very sad," she said.

"There's a chance of an accident at every event. It's important to win medals but it's more important that competitors are safe and return home safely.

"It's a tragedy and many things are going through my mind at the moment."

The family of Kim, the rider, are rushing to Doha, she added.

Discussions are underway on whether the Korean team will pull out of the event as a mark of respect, although Hodson indicated the event, suspended because of the accident and heavy rain, would likely continue.

He added that the death would inevitably force some deep thinking about the future of equestrian as an Asian Games and Olympic sport, but expressed confidence that its standing would not be affected.

"It's not just activists concerned about this. It's all of us in the equestrian community," he said of injuries to riders and horses.

"I'm absolutely confident that equestrian will continue and we will discover that there are lessons to be learnt from this."

It is the eighth death linked to the Asian Games, although the first of an athlete.

Last week a 60-year-old Indian woman working as a volunteer died after being hit by a car as she crossed a busy, city centre street.

On Wednesday, a man turned himself into police following the deaths of six young Qatari women who were killed in a car crash as they returned from watching the Asian Games torch relay.

The deaths of athletes while competing is a rare occurance, but does happen.

In August, the best friend of Britain's Zara Phillips - the daughter of Princess Anne - died at an equestrian event in England when her horse fell on top of her, crushing her skull.

(China Daily December 8, 2006)