Kim Hyung Chil, 47, was killed after his horse Bundaberg Black was caught on an obstacle in wet and difficult conditions and fell onto him during the cross country event.

In this image taken from television, South Korean rider Kim Hyung-chil falls from his horse Bundaberg Black during the cross country section of the equestrian three day eventing competition at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, Thursday Dec. 7, 2006. Kim Hyung-chil died after the fall in rainy conditions on Thursday. He was 47. [AP]

"The rider had to take the weight of Bundaberg Black when the horse fell trying to clear an obstacle," Dr. Abdulwahal Al-Mussleh, head for health care and doping control of the DACOG, told a press conference.

Al-Mussleh said that Kim was then rushed to Hamad General Hospital near the athletes village, but died shortly after arrival without recovering consciousness. "He was declared dead at 10:50 am," added Abdulwahal.

South Korean athletes pay tribute in front of the altar for South Korean rider Kim Hyung-chil during the wake at the Athletes Village in Doha, Qatar , Thursday, Dec. [Xinhua]

The heaviest rain in 42 years in Doha fell from early morning and washed out the soft tennis and tennis competitions but Christopher Hodson, vice president of the International Equestrian Federation (IEF), rejected speculations that wet conditions was the cause of Kim's death.

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

Kim was the oldest member of South Korea's equestrian team. He won silver in the team competition in Busan 2002.

A minute's silence was observed in all venues to mourn the rider's death, which shocked the whole South Korean delegation.