FEI Proposing Significant Changes for 2016 Olympic Qualification

The FEI will be holding their second annual Sports Forum in Lausanne next month, April 8-10. One of the bigger topics on the agenda are proposed changes to the Olympic Qualification process.

To line up the 3 Olympic Disciplines, the FEI is proposing that the teams for the Olympic Games would include a maximum of 4 riders per team with the 3 best riders’ result to count for the 3 Olympic Disciplines. This means a change for Eventing from a team size of 5 riders to 4, and for Dressage a team size of 3 riders (where all scores counted) to 4.

For Eventing, this will then mean the introduction of reserve horses (1 per team), which already exists for the other Disciplines.

Additional proposed changes include:

QUOTA SHIFT:
Given the harmonisation of the number of riders per team
(4 with 3 to count) in all 3 Olympic disciplines, a quota shift is necessary to ensure the same number of nations can qualify for the Olympic Games. For this reason the following quota shift is
proposed:

Jumping: 75 riders (as current)
Dressage: 60 riders (10 additional athletes from 50 in 2012)
Eventing: 65 riders (from 75 in 2012)

The FEI states "It is highlighted that for Eventing the simulation based on the 2012 Olympic Games of the new quota distribution did not influence the number of nations qualified taking into account the reduction from 5 to 4 riders per team "


HORSES NATIONALITY
Horses entered for the Equestrian Events at the Olympic Games must have been registered with FEI as property of owners of the same nationality as the Athlete, by 15 January 2016. (Note: For the previous Olympic Games, the deadline was 31 December of the year preceding the OG)
 

To read the entire document, go to: http://www.fei.org/feisportsforum/supporting-docs