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Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League jumps off

Friday, 07 August 2015
Sport

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The world’s top Jumping riders have annually chased FEI World Cup™ Jumping points for nearly four decades. Now, in a step towards elevating and standardizing elite-level Jumping, the Swiss watchmaker Longines has partnered with the FEI to launch the North American League.

The new series of 14 events will provide an improved qualifying experience for the sport’s horses, riders, organizers and spectators in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The seed for the North American League was planted when Longines became the FEI’s Official Top Partner, Timekeeper and Watch in 2012, taking on responsibilities including data handling and time keeping for a number of FEI championships and series.

A total of 14 athletes from the North American league will qualify for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, which will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 23-28 March 2016. The top seven athletes from the East Coast US, top three from West Coast US, and the two best-placed athletes from Canada and Mexico will qualify for this Final, alongside winners of 13 leagues around the world.

Longines boost

Longines is a major supporter of the Olympic sport of Jumping around the world, and is already title partner of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European League and Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping China League.

Longines has not only doubled the prize money for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, which has a jackpot of more than US $ 1.4 million (€1.3 million), but is now supporting the further growth of Jumping across North America as the Founding and Title Partner, Official Watch and Official Timekeeper of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League. Longines will also provide a dedicated timekeeping team and data handling service for each of the 14 qualifiers.

The decision to launch the North American League stemmed from Longines’ commitment to the sport, according to John Madden, FEI First Vice-President and Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee, and its selection of North America for an official series is a solid step toward the continued enhancement of FEI-level competition on the continent.

At the series’ end, a hard-fought battle will qualify seven US athletes from the qualifiers on the East Coast, three US athletes from the West Coast, and two Canadian and two Mexican athletes for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg (SWE) on 23-28 March 2016.

Canadian start to a new era

The journey embarks on 9 August on the East Coast and on 16 August on the West Coast, when a new era of Jumping in North America will begin at two of the four Canadian venues in this new series - the Bromont Equestrian Park in Quebec (9 August) and Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British Columbia (16 August).

The 14 qualifiers in the series are spread out equally on both coasts. A large number of bids was narrowed down into a long list of 25 applicants before the final line-up of show grounds were selected to host the qualifier classes.

“A large number of bids for the 14 shows gave us the chance to impose extremely high standards for the North American League,” John Madden said. “It's a great incentive for the organizers to not be satisfied with the bare minimums, but to have the ultimate competitive atmosphere in this new league.”

The new North American series, with predetermined standards and FEI rules, has required organizers to agree to contractual obligations to meet every aspect of the hosting agreement.

Calendar - Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League

East Coast
Bromont, QC (CAN) 09.08.2015 2.30pm ET
New York, North Salem (USA) 13.09.2015 2.00pm ET
Washington, DC (USA) 24.10.2015 9.00pm ET
Lexington, KY (USA) 01.11.2015 2.00pm ET
Toronto, ON (CAN) 11.11.2015 9.15pm ET
Wellington, FL (USA) 07.02.2016 12.00pm ET
Ocala, FL (USA) 27.02.2016 1.00pm ET
 
West Coast
Langley, BC (CAN) 16.08.2015 2.00pm PT
Rancho Murieta, CA (USA) 26.09.2015 7.00pm PT
Del Mar, CA (USA) 17.10.2015 7.00pm PT
Calgary, AB (CAN) 31.10.2015 7.30pm MT
Las Vegas, NV (USA) 14.11.2015 8.00pm PT
Valle de Bravo (MEX) 23.01.2016 2.00pm CDT
Thermal, CA (USA) 13.02.2016 6.00 PT
 

Source: Press release FEI



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