Kommendes Wochenende wird die ganze Aufmerksamkeit der Springsportwelt dem 2,3 Millionen Finale des Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 in Barcelona gelten. 19 Nationen haben sich mit ihren Teams für dieses Finale qualifiziert.

Die Franzosen gehen als Führende ins Finale, aber Team Europameister Niederlande mit Einzel Europameister Jeroen Dubbledam gilt als großer Favorit. Das Finale des Nations Cup folgt sicherlich eigenen Gesetzen und jedes Team, das es ins Finale geschafft hat, hofft auf das nötige Quentchen Glück, das über Sieg und Niederlage entscheidet.

Rekordteilnehmerzahl
Insgesamt 19 Qualifikationsrunden wurden im Vorfeld rund um die Welt ausgetragen. Seit 2013 gibt es neue Austragungsbedingungen, die sechs Regionen bzw. Divisionen festlegen für diese Qualifikationsrunden. Europa Division 1 wird im Finale von Belgien, Frankreich, Deutschland, Großbritannien, Irland, Italien, Niederlande,Schweden, Schweiz und dem Gastgeberland Spanien vertreten. Die Top Teams der Europa Division 2 sind Tschechien und Polen. Mexiko und die USA haben sich über die Nord und Zentral Amerika Division qualifiziert. Barsilien und Venezuela repräsentieren die Region Südamerika, Quatar vertritt den Mittleren Osten und Australien kommt für die Asien Division. Einziges Team für die Division Afrika wird Ägypten sein, Deutschland oder Italien beispielsweise konnten ins Finale nachrücken nachdem bereits qualifizierte Nationen wie Japan, Hongkong oder Jordan nicht in der Lage waren, ein Team zu stellen.
Deutschlands Team besteht aus Christian Ahlmann, Ludger Beerbaum, Daniel Deusser, Marcus Ehning und Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.

Die Favoriten
Frankreich konnte 2013 den Finalsieg holen. Heuer kämpfen Timothee Anciaume, Roger Yves Bost, Nicolas Delmotte, Penelope Leprevost und Kevin Staut um Gold. Belgiens Farben vertreten Jos Lansink, Judy Ann Melchior, Gudrun Patteet, Olivier Philippaerts und EM Silbermedaillengewinner Gregory Wathelet.
Für Großbritannien gehen Joe Clee, Ben Maher, Jessica Mendoza, Michael Whitaker und Laura Renwick ins Rennen.
Das irische Team ist hochmotiviert und Gastgeber Spanien in aufsteigender Form, aber auch mit Schweden und EM Bronzemedaillengewinner Schweiz wird zu rechnen sein. Das Amazonen team aus den USA mit Beezie Madden, Laura Kraut, Lauren Hough, Reed Kessler und Lucy Davis ist möglicherweise ebenso für eine Überraschung gut wie das brasilianische Team nach seinem Sieg am vergangenen Wochenende in Spruce Meadows.

Die Teilnehmerliste finden Sie hier.

Daten und Fakten
Das dritte Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Finale wird von 24.-27.September 2015 im Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP) stattfinden

Der Polo Club, der Austragungsort für die Springbewerbe der Olympischen Spiele 1992 war, feiert dieses Jahr sein 104-jähriges Bestehen

19 Nationen – Australien, Belgien, Brasilien, Tschechien, Ägypten, Frankreich, Deutschland, Großbritannien, Irland, Italien, Mexiko, Niderlande, Polen, Qatar, Spanien, Schweden, Schweiz, USa und Venezuela – haben sich qualifiziert

19 Qualifikationsrunden fanden statt

Das Preisgeld für das Finalturnier beträgt €2,362,500

Am Freitag im Qualifikationsspringen wird es kein Preisgeld geben – nur die besten acht Teams können sich über dieses Springen für das Finale am Samstag Abend qualifizieren

Das Finalspringen ist mit €1,500,000 dotiert

Es gibt einen Bonus von €200,000 für jene Mannschaften, die in der ersten Runde und im Finale fehlerfrei bleiben

Die verbleibenden elf Nationen kämpfen im Longines Challenge Cup um €300,000 und auch hier teilen sich jene, die zwei Mal fehlerfrei bleiben, einen Bonus in der Höhe von €50,000.

Parcourschef beim Furusiyya Finale 2015 in Spanien ist Santiago Varela

Im Dezember 2012 wurde von der FEI eine Sponsorvereinbarung mit Furusiyya für vier Jahre

Longines ist offizieller Zeitnehmer für die Nationenpreis Serie

Der Nations Cup feiert 2015 seine 106. Saison

Mehr Informationen zur Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Serie gibt es hier.

www.csiobarcelona.com

With the dust barely settled after the thrills and excitement of the FEI European Championships at Aachen (GER) last month, all eyes will be on the Dutch team when the €2.3 million Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final 2015 gets underway in Barcelona (ESP) next week. A massive line-up of 19 countries have confirmed participation at the third season-closer to the series that has set the sport of team Jumping alight since the format was revamped and revitalised in 2012.

Team France came out on top at the inaugural Final, but there are few who doubt that the ones to beat this time around are the defending champions from The Netherlands who have been on an incredible victory roll over the past 12 months.
The side, managed by Rob Ehrens, took team and individual gold in the finest of style at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA) last September, before clinching the 2014 Furusiyya title just a few short weeks later with the same quartet. After a summer of mixed fortunes they then marched resolutely to the top step of the team podium in Aachen four weeks ago where Jeroen Dubbeldam added European individual gold to his World Championship individual title.
No matter how much the form-book tells us, however, Nations Cup Jumping tends to turn up plenty of surprises, and every team that lines out in next Thursday’s opening competition at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona will be hoping for some of that often-elusive element of luck that separates the winners from all the rest.

Qualifiers
A total of 19 qualifiers took place around the globe in the lead-up to this event. Under the new format introduced in 2013, the world is divided into six regions for qualification purposes. Nine teams have emerged from Europe Division 1, which will be represented by Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, along with the host nation of Spain. The top two teams from Europe Division 2, Czech Republic and Poland, have also made the cut, while Mexico and USA have qualified from the North America, Central America and Caribbean series.
Brazil and Venezuela will represent the South American region, while Qatar will fly the flag for the Middle East, Australia will represent Asia/Australasia and the Egyptian team will be the sole    representatives from Africa.
A few countries have earned their spots because other qualified countries were unable to compete, and amongst them is Germany who got the call-up when Japan, and Hong Kong which was reserve from the Asia/Australasia region, could not field a team. In compliance with the rules, this vacant slot was offered to the highest-placed unqualified team in the final Division 1 standings, so Germany was offered the chance to take part and grabbed the opportunity, as did Italy in similar circumstances when Jordan pulled out.
For so long the dominant force in the sport, Germany had not been enjoying significant success at top Nations Cup level in recent times, but they put that to rights when earning silver medal spot at the FEI European Championships on home ground last month and will be sure to put the defending Furusiyya champions under pressure next week with a typically formidable squad that includes Christian Ahlmann, Ludger Beerbaum, Daniel Deusser, Marcus Ehning and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.

All guns blazing
The French had a disappointing outing at Aachen, taking the early lead but dropping out of contention in the later stages of competition, so the country that won the inaugural Furusiyya title in 2013 is likely to come out with all guns blazing in an effort to make up for that. Timothee Anciaume, Roger Yves Bost, Nicolas Delmotte, Penelope Leprevost and Kevin Staut will be flying the flag with determination.
The Belgians were impressive winners of the Europe Division 1 qualifying series, and they send out Jos Lansink, Judy Ann Melchior, Gudrun Patteet and Olivier Philippaerts along with Gregory Wathelet whose individual silver medal at the FEI European Championships will have given them a major boost.
The British achieved their aim of Olympic qualification at Aachen, and Di Lampard has chosen the same side of Joe Clee, Ben Maher, Jessica Mendoza and Michael Whitaker along with Laura Renwick to fight for the Furusiyya 2015 title. It won’t be easily won – the Irish are likely to be highly competitive, while both the Swedes and Swiss look strong. The Swiss in particular should be on a high after their brilliant bronze medal finish in Aachen where Romain Duguet was something of a show-stealer. And of course the host nation are in flying form too after Marco Fuste’s side also earned a place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games when finishing sixth in Aachen where Sergio Alvarez Moya also lined up fifth individually. He can be expected to play a major role with Carlo when the Spanish campaign gets underway next Thursday.
Add to that an all-female American side that just oozes talent, with Beezie Madden and Laura Kraut joined by Lauren Hough, Reed Kessler and Lucy Davis, and a Brazilian team buoyed up by their victory at Spruce Meadows in Calgary (CAN) last weekend, and all the ingredients for a thrilling clash of the giants are in place.

Expansion and development
The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping series is not all about the big guns however. The reason it has integrated into the very fabric of the sport so quickly since the revised format was put in place is because of its inclusivity, and its capacity to aid expansion and development.
Many new horse-and-rider partnerships took their very first steps on the ladder to success this season. The Furusiyya series offers the opportunity to expose new talent and to train up-and-coming combinations while also providing a challenge to veteran performers. Instead of being restricted to a small number of countries as was the case for many years, it now reaches out right across the globe, inviting new nations to stretch their ambitions, and raising the bar in a way that could hardly have been envisaged a decade ago.
Team sport is always character-forming and character-testing, with highs and lows that must be borne in equal measure, and it is this very element of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping series that makes it so appealing to the public who will be following the Final closely next week.
They won’t all be fortunate enough to have a ring-side seat, but they can enjoy every exciting moment online and through social media. So somewhere around the world on Saturday night, 26 September, there will be a massive roar of approval as the newly-crowned Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 champions step proudly onto the podium at the Real Club de Polo.

Full list of participants here.

For further information on the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 Final at Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP) from 24 to 27 September, visit www.csiobarcelona.com

Facts and Figures:
The third Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final will once again take place at Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP) from 24 to 27 September 2015.

The prestigious Polo Club, which was the Jumping venue for the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992, is celebrating its 104th anniversary fixture this year.

19 nations – Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA and Venezuela – will battle it out for the title of Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping 2015 champions.

19 qualifiers took place around the world ahead of this year’s Final.

Total prizefund on offer at next week’s Final is €2,362,500.

There is no prizemoney in Thursday’s opening competition, but it is a critical class as the top eight teams will qualify for Saturday night’s finale in which there is €1,500,000 on offer along with a €200,000 bonus to be split between riders jumping clear in the first competition and again in the Final itself.

The remaining 11 countries will battle it out for €300,000 in Friday’s Longines Challenge Cup in which there is a similar bonus of €50,000 to be shared amongst those jumping clear in the first competition and again in the Challenge Cup.

The Netherlands will defend the title they secured at the same venue last year. The Dutch team are on a victory roll, having taken team and individual gold at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA) last year just a few weeks before clinching the Furusiyya 2014 title, and then adding team and individual gold at last month’s FEI European Championships in Aachen, Germany.

Course designer for the Furusiyya Final 2015 is Spain’s Santiago Varela.

A four-year sponsorship package for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping series was agreed with the FEI in December 2012.

The FEI’s top partner, Swiss watchmakers Longines, are Official Timekeepers for the series.

Nations Cup Jumping celebrates its 106th season in 2015.

For further information on the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping series check out this link .

www.csiobarcelona.com

Source: Press Release