All eyes on the Olympic test at Pratoni del Vivaro

The Equestrian Center Ranieri di Campello will host, from 5th to 9th of June, the second stage of the international FEI Eventing Nations Cup ™ Series, with a pressure for podium positions that will reach fever pitch.
The italian organization committee – managed by the president Leopoldo Torlonia, and the event director Cintia Campello – has been appointed by FEI as the tester of the Olympic eventing format, approved by IOC on the proposal of the FEI General Assembly 2016.
Based on this format, each national team will be composed of 3 athletes, so every result will be taken into account for the Team classification, and it will no longer be possible to apply the ‘drop-score’, so discard the worst individual result. Each national team is entitled to one reserve, named “alternal athlete”: substitutions will only be allowed – even if the competition has already begun – in the event of an accident or illness of an Athlete and/or Horse.
A combination may be substituted by a reserve combination for Medical/Veterinarian reasons in any of the three tests after the start of the competition. Such substitution will incur a penalty for the team of 20 points.
No substitution is permitted where the combination has been eliminated for Dangerous Riding, Abuse of Horse or where the combination has been disqualified.
This change from the previous Olympic format was determined by the desire to act in accordance with the recommendations indicated in the 2020 Olympic Agenda.

These the words of the FEI president, Ingmar De Vos, at the 2016 FEI General Assembly: “Reducing team members to three for nation was probably the only way to boost the number of flags.“
With this system, the horse and riders combinations quota remains unchanged (65), but the number of participating nations has increased.

Italy is the first nation appointed by the International Equestrian Federation as a “tester“ to develop the 2020 Olympic format. “We are proud – said the event director Cintia Campello – of this assignment from the FEI. We are confident that testing this new procedure will be representing a training for all the nations already qualified for Tokyo 2020, as well as a great opportunity for those teams moving forward to the goal of the qualification. It is a privilege to be able to host  the “premiere” of the Olympic eventing, joining to the Olympic concept of the universality of sport “
Ph. © Massimo Argenziano
– Rosalind Canter in sella a ZensheraDaniela Cursi
(Press Office Manager FEI Eventing Nations Cup Italy 2019)