Text © World of Showjumping

Following the approval of the Olympic qualification system in the discipline of jumping for the Olympic Games 2028, first by the FEI General Assembly in November and more recently by the IOC Executive Board during their meeting on 8-10 December, the FEI has published the full document which details how individuals and teams can qualify for LA28. 

A total of 75 quota places are available in the discipline of jumping. Twenty NOCs will obtain team qualification: One – USA – as host country, while 19 team quota places will be allocated through various FEI Olympic Group Qualification Events. With three horse-and-rider combinations per team, as in Tokyo and Paris, 15 quota places are left for individual athletes.

The seven highest ranked teams from the 2026 FEI Jumping World Championships in Aachen – excluding the host country team – will qualify for the 2028 Olympics. The three highest ranked teams from the 2027 FEI Jumping European Championship in Waregem from the FEI Olympic Groups A and/or B – excluding teams already qualified in accordance with the qualification pathway – will also qualify. Furthermore, the three highest ranked teams from the FEI Olympic Groups D and/or E at the 2027 Pan-American Games in Lima – excluding teams already qualified in accordance with the qualification pathway – will earn a team quota place. 

For Group C, Group F and Group G there will be Designated Olympic Qualification Events, with the best two teams from each respective group qualifying – excluding teams already qualified in accordance with the qualification pathway. 

Only NOCs that have not accepted a team quota place are eligible to obtain individual quota places. Each athlete can obtain a maximum of one individual quota place for that athlete’s NOC. The 15 individual quota places will be distributed as follows:

The two best ranked riders, with a maximum of one per NOC, in the FEI Olympic Ranking for jumping from the Olympic Groups A (North - Western Europe), B (South -Western Europe), C (Central and Eastern Europe; Central Asia), F (Africa and Middle East) and G (South -East Asia, Oceania) will obtain one individual quota place for their NOC. 

Furthermore, the NOC of the highest ranked rider on the overall FEI Olympic Ranking for jumping – excluding athletes who have already obtained a quota place for their NOC through the FEI Olympic Group Rankings – will obtain one individual quota place.

The three highest ranked riders from Olympic Groups D and/or E, with a maximum of one per NOC, from the overall individual classification at the 2027 Pan-American Games will also obtain one individual quota place for their NOC.

Additionally, one individual quota place will be allocated to the NOC of the highest ranked athlete in the FEI Olympic Ranking for Olympic Groups D (North America) and E (Central and South America) combined, excluding NOCs qualified through the 2027 Pan-American Games.

The FEI Olympic Ranking for jumping will be limited to the fifteen best results per horse-and-rider combination in Olympic Ranking competitions within the period from 1 January to 31 December 2027. The FEI Olympic Ranking Rules, to be used for establishing the FEI Olympic Ranking for jumping, will be available shortly.

The qualification timeline, as well as the Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER), is also regulated in the jumping qualification system document, now available on the FEI website.