Bad weather forces cancellation of FEI Nations event in Lummen

The extreme weather during the last week left FEI delegates and show organisers no choice but to cancel the event, which included the first leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Europe Division 1.

Five teams – the hosts Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic, were all allocated to collect points in the FEI Nations Cup Europe Division 1 in Lummen, which means The FEI rules in regards to cancellation and calculation of points comes into effect.

Rule 8.5 Cancellation of a 2016 Qualifying Competition reads means that teams whose result would have counted for points at the cancelled Competition are distributed points for the cancelled Competition, based on the total number of points obtained at their other allocated Events divided by the number of Events at which they have participated for points. This calculation is carried out at the end of the season.

The Organising Committee explained that since 16 April more than 30mm of rain a day has been falling in Belgium, and that after a further 52.7mm and 58.9mm on Monday and Tuesday [leading up to the event]. The FEI delegates, together with the Organising Committee, decided to cancel the entire CSIO5 star event, adding “even for Belgium these are exceptional weather conditions”.

Despite the disappointment from the abandoned event in Lummen, the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping season begins to gather momentum over the coming weeks.

The fourth leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping 2016 series – which is the first round of Europe Division 2, will take place at Linz, Austria, on Friday, 6 May.

That is followed by both the Europe Division 1 leg at La Baule, France and a new Europe Division 2 event in Ceije, Slovenia a week later.

Events at Odense in Denmark, the Italian and Portugese capitals of Rome and Lisbon respectively, Langley in Canada, St Gallen in Switzerland, Sopot in Poland and Rotterdam in The Netherlands will then fill the calendar up to the end of June.

July is equally as packed with more action in Falsterbo in Sweden, the Hungarian capital of Budapest, Ireland’s capital of Dublin, and Hickstead in England before the last qualifying leg takes place at Gijon in Spain at the end of August.

The Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain will once again host the much-anticipated FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final from 22 to 25 September 2016.