Switzerland was yesterday drawn first to go in the final leg of the Samsung Super League series which takes place at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona tomorrow afternoon.
The order of go is as follows: 1, Switzerland; 2, France; 3, Germany; 4, USA; 5, Ireland; 6, Spain; 7, Great Britain; 8, Holland; 9, Belgium.
"The teams at the top and at the bottom of the table are very close together so we can expect a hard battle out there tomorrow" said Barcelona Show Director Hanspeter Vogelsanger. The weather has taken a turn for the worse however, with the rain that accompanied Saturday night's thunderstorms continuing throughout the day. "We have had no rain in Barcelona for the last six months" Mr Vogelsanger explained "but we have been promised that tomorrow will be better".
Wet or dry however the final episode in the exciting 2005 series will be played out with the top four teams - USA, Germany, Great Britain and Switzerland - all in with a chance of scooping the title and the bottom three - Belgium, The Netherlands and Ireland - in danger of relegation. It's going to be tough. The double-points on offer will prove very useful to those doing well, and disastrous for the teams that are struggling.
American Chef d'Equipe George Morris knows that his team is tipped for the title but he is taking nothing for granted while Irish manager John Ledingham has worked out that his side cannot finish lower than fifth place if they are to survive and that they must stay ahead of both Belgium and Holland. He is maintaining a positive outlook despite the intense pressure going into tomorrow's competition - "we're looking forward to a good competition and good sport, and we don't want to go down" he pointed out.
Dutch Chef d'Equipe Rob Ehrens said "the feeling all season has not been brilliant for the Dutch team. We were lucky in Aachen when finishing second but tomorrow we will be coming out and going for gold" he added.
Meanwhile it was announced today that Samsung Electronics has confirmed its commitment to the Super League series for another three years.
"It was evident from the very beginning that, with national pride at stake, the competition would be very successful, but no-one could have anticipated the degree of enthusiasm and determination with which the series has been embraced" said FEI President HRH the Infanta Dona Pilar de Borbon. "I would like to convey our gratitude to Samsung for supporting equestrian sport worldwide, and for being such a long and faithful partner of the FEI" she added.
"The FEI is delighted at the renewal of the contract" said FEI Sports Director Michael Stone. "We have shown that the Samsung Super League is a good product for both the FEI and for the sport and it is a credit to the teams that have given us great competition over the last three years".
SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE LEADERBOARD (after Round 7 in Aachen):
1. USA - 43
2. Germany - 39
3. Great Britain - 37
4. Switzerland - 28
5. France - 27.5
6. Belgium - 19
7. The Netherlands- 18.5
8. Ireland - 15
SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE - NATIONAL PRIDE, INTERNATIONAL PASSION!
The final takes place at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona on Sunday 18 September. Show President is Joaquin Calvo Jaques, Show Director is Hanspeter Vogelsanger and Press Officer is Isabel Suter - contact isuter@rcpolo.com, tel: +3493203 1008 , fax +3493205 5516, website www.csiobarcelona.com.
SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE 2005 CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
ROUND 1 - La Baule (Fra) 5-8 May; ROUND 2 - Rome (Ita) 26-29 May; ROUND 3 - St Gallen (Sui) 02-05 June; ROUND 4 - Rotterdam (Ned) 16-19 June; ROUND 5 - Hickstead (GBR) 28-31 July; ROUND 6 - Dublin (Irl) 03-07 August; ROUND 7 - Aachen (Ger) 23-28 August; ROUND 8 and FINAL - Barcelona (Esp) 15-18 September.
You can access all the latest Samsung Super League news and information on website www.samsungsuperleague.com and don't forget that BIOGRAPHIES on all riders competing in the series are available at http://bios.horsesport.org.
Want to know more? You can check the full RULES for the Samsung Super League series on the FEI website, www.horsesport.org - section jumping/rules.
The Samsung Super league consists of the eight most prestigious horse shows at which the world's eight best national teams compare their merit. The Super League is connected to the Samsung Nations Cup series through a promotion/relegation system at the end of each season.
Samsung Electronics, one of the world's largest electronics companies, is committed to supporting international sporting events thereby returning corporate profits to the public and working towards a more harmonious and equitable society.
For more information:
Contact FEI Communications, Muriel Faienza, m.faienza@horsesport.org org
consult FEI website www.horsesport.org.
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