Hickstead lose bid to host new format of FEI League of Nations
Tuesday 01 August 2023
Sadly, after a magical week with Great Britain winning the Longines FEI Nations Cup at the Royal International Horse Show, Hickstead’s bid to host a leg of the new Longines League of Nations – which replaces the FEI Jumping Nations Cup series – has been unsuccessful.
The FEI has announced there will only be four qualifiers at: CSIO5* Abu Dhabi (UAE), CSIO5* Ocala, Florida (USA), CSIO5* St Gallen (SUI) and CSIO5* Rotterdam (NED) with the final at CSIO5* Barcelona (ESP).
Statement from The All England Jumping Course, Hickstead:
The organisers of The All England Jumping Course at Hickstead have been unsuccessful in their bid to host one of the new Longines League of Nations competitions, which will replace the former FEI Jumping Nations Cup series.
"Hickstead has hosted a Nations Cup for nearly 50 years, and we are obviously hugely disappointed not to have been chosen as one of the host venues for the new series. However, there are only two qualifiers in total in Europe along with the Final, which remains in Barcelona. A total of 18 bids were made with just five venues selected globally," said Lizzie Bunn, Hickstead Executive Director.
"After a magnificent win in the Nations Cup and such a brilliant week of sport, we are still keen to host a Nations Cup at Hickstead. The difference is we now have the freedom to explore new opportunities.
"We are fortunate to have many loyal supporters, and the backing of our governing bodies and stakeholders has never been more vital. Our challenge now is that we have just weeks to make crucial decisions about the schedule for next year's shows, and to secure a new sponsorship deal."
FEI Statement:
The FEI Board has unanimously confirmed the allocation of the Qualifiers and Final of the Longines League of Nations™ for the 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027 seasons to venues across Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
The Longines League of Nations™ venues for the 2024 - 2027 seasons will be as follows:
Qualifiers:
CSIO5* Abu Dhabi (UAE)
CSIO5* Ocala, FL (USA)
CSIO5* St Gallen (SUI)
CSIO5* Rotterdam (NED)
Final: CSIO5* Barcelona (ESP)
“The Board allocated four Qualifiers for this global series in three regions – two Qualifiers in Europe, one in North America, and one in the Middle East,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez commented. “Although we originally planned to have five Qualifiers, we were mindful that next year will be particularly busy with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games taking place from 26 July to 11 August. Having four Qualifiers keeps the calendar reasonable and allows athletes, horses, and chefs d’équipe to manage horsepower and still have enough time to train, compete, and prepare for the Olympic Games."
The format, which was approved unanimously by the FEI Jumping Committee, will be unique to the Longines League of NationsTM. It consists of two rounds, whereby in the first round, all four athletes from all 10 teams (and potentially the host nation) participate with the three best scores to count, followed by a second round where the best eight teams compete in reverse order - carrying forward their penalties from the first round - however with only three athletes per team and no drop score.
You can read more about the changes here
