The FEI Olympic Athletes Ranking (Jumping) has been updated with results from 1.1.2015-31.12.2015, and it is Bertram Allen that tops Group A for Ireland and Emanuele Gaudiano that is the highest ranked rider in Group B for Italy.

According to the FEI rules, fifteen individual quota places of one athlete and one horse will be reserved for NOCs with a maximum of two athletes with one horse each per NOC. Only NOCs which have not obtained a team quota place are eligible to qualify for individual quota places. 

The FEI Olympic Athletes Ranking will be finalized at the 6th of March, and is limited to the best fifteen results per athlete/horse combination in specified events within the period from 1 January 2015 to 6 March 2016 included.

There are fifteen teams already qualified for the Games; Brazil (host nation), Netherlands, France, USA, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain, Spain, Canada, Argentina, Qatar, Ukraine, Japan and Australia – while individual athletes from non-qualified nations have to battle it out on the FEI Olympic Athletes Ranking (Jumping) to make it to Rio.

Four athletes will qualify from group A (North Western Europe), B (South Western Europe), C (Central & Eastern Europe; Central Asia) and F (Africa and the Middle East). The best ranked athlete in the FEI Olympic Athletes Ranking (Jumping) from each of the four above mentioned groups will qualify one individual quota place for their NOC.

Like last month, Group A sees Ireland’s Bertram Allen on top. This time his horses have switched places though, with Molly Malone V on top (1131.06 points) and Romanov ranked second (1065 points). Ireland’s Conor Swail is still third with Viva Colombia (794.50 points).

Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano with Admara 2 (1245 points) is up from rank two to one in Group B this month, while Portugal’s Luciana Diniz with Fit For Fun (1174.50 points) also steps one spot up from last month to be rank two. Belgium's Gregory Wathelet, leader of the group last month, is now rank three with Conrad de Hus (1166 points). 

In group C, Turkey’s Omer Karaevli with Dadjak Ter Putten (792.75 points) still leads the way, while Czech rider Ales Opatrny with Acovaro (764.25 points) continues on as rank two although he closes in on Karaevli. The new number three is Turkey's Derin Demirsov with Harry K (687.25 points). 

Group D still sees Patrick Nisbett from Bermuda on top (57.25 points). 

As for Group D and E, Venezuela has earned two spots, Colombia two spots, while Peru and Uruguay have earned one spot each through the 2015 Pan Am Games. 

Morocco’s Abdelkebir Ouaddar still leads group F with Quickly de Kreisker, having increased his amount of points since last month (1222 points).

Taipei has the spot in Group G as they are the NOC of the best ranked athlete in this group following the FEI selected Olympic Qualification event, which was held in Hagen (GER) earlier this year. 

An additional four riders will qualify. The NOCs of the four best ranked athletes from the overall FEI Olympic Athletes Ranking (Jumping) can send riders to Rio.

The current four best NOCs on the list are (not qualified with teams): Italy (through Emanuele Gaudiano), Morocco (through Abdelkebir Ouaddar), Portugal (through Luciana Diniz) and Belgium (through Gregory Wathelet) - which means there has been a shift since last month that saw Belgium on top. 

Text © World of Showjumping // Picture © Jenny Abrahamsson