A NEW SEASON - AND GREAT EXPECTATIONS.....
With just 10 days to go to the opening of the fifth Samsung Super League with FEI series at La Baule in France the excitement is mounting.
The annual clash of the top eight show jumping nations in the world at eight world-class venues has become firmly established in the sporting calendar since it was launched in 2003, and the great pride of representing one's country has enjoyed something of a renaissance.
In this fifth season the Samsung Super League with FEI has extra significance as riders strive to show their potential ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, and the competition can be expected to be as fierce as ever as the motto of "National Pride, International Passion" is once more played out in earnest. The series has encouraged the revival of true team spirit, and the struggle to stay within the "Super Eight" has provided some of the most thrilling equestrian sport of recent years.
The formula is just right - eight teams, eight events and just over four months of first-class jumping that comes to a climax with a final that decides which team reigns supreme and which nation must accept relegation. The country finishing in eighth place drops down to the FEI Nations Cup series which runs over a much longer period and takes in 19 legs in 19 different countries. The winning team from that series is promoted to the Samsung Super League with FEI and, this season, it is Belgium that rejoins the ranks after a year out. Following a brave struggle over the last two seasons the Irish were obliged to accept relegation in 2006, but such is the status of the Samsung Super League with FEI series that they are fully-focused on making a return in 2008. However they will have to see off the attentions of at least 30 other nations in order to make the cut.
Belgium joins France, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA as the 2007 series kicks off next week in La Baule. The French were back-to-back winners in the inaugural 2003 season and again in 2004 before the Americans arrived and took the 2005 season by storm, but the defending champions are the Germans who won four of the eight legs to finish clear winners in 2006.
The eight legs of the 2007 series take place at the following venues:
La Baule, France, Friday 11 May
Rome, Italy, Friday 25 May
St Gallen, Switzerland, Friday 1 June
Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Friday 22 June
Aachen, Germany, Thursday 5 July
Hickstead, Great Britain, Friday 27 July
Dublin, Ireland, Friday 10 August
Barcelona, Spain, Sunday 16 September (The Final).
The Samsung Super League with FEI competitions are Five-Star Nations Cup classes with four riders on each team competing over two rounds. The best three scores of each team are taken into account in deciding the result and, at the end of every leg, points are awarded according to each country's finishing position as follows :
1st - 10 points
2nd - 7 points
3rd - 5 points
4th - 4 points
5th - 3 points
6th - 2 points
7th - 1 point
8th - 0.5 points.
Here are some statistics:
Since the Samsung Super League with FEI series began a total of 199 riders have participated. The rider with the most starts is Britain's Nick Skelton who has competed in 21 events and Nick also holds the record for the greatest number of double-clears. Two clear rounds in any Nations Cup competition is quite an achievement but two clear rounds on the same day in any Samsung Super League with FEI class is something very special indeed and the British rider has accumulated six of these. The rider with the greatest number of single clear rounds is America's Laura Kraut with 10, while two German riders hold the record for being on the most winning teams. They are Christian Ahlmann and Marco Kutscher who have both celebrated six victories.
The French team for next week's opening clash has already been named. Gilles Bertran de Balanda follows in the footsteps of Jean Maurice Bonneau who stepped down as French Chef d'Equipe at the end of last season and the new incumbent has selected Roger Yves Bost (Ideal de la Loge), Robert Breul (Iasco Mouche), Michel Hecart (Itot du Chateau), Laurent Goffinet (Flipper d'Elle) and Stephan Lafouge (Gabelou des Ores) to fly the home flag in the Francois Andre Stadium as the new season gets underway. And American team manger, George Morris, has also chosen his squad which includes Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden, Todd Minikus, Richard Spooner and Lisa Silverman.
Final entries close tomorrow, May 2nd, and then the full line-up for the first round of what promises to be another vintage season of international team sport will be known. Expectations are high as the season is poised to begin.....
SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE - NATIONAL PRIDE, INTERNATIONAL PASSION!
For further information about the Samsung Super League with FEI at La Baule check out website www.labaule-cheval.com. Press Officer is Karine Devilder - Email: karine.devilder@unidfox.com. Tel: +33 240 600280.
SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE WITH FEI - 2007 CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
ROUND 1 - La Baule (FRA) Friday 11 May; ROUND 2 - Rome (ITA) Friday 25 May; ROUND 3 - St Gallen (SUI) Friday 1 June; ROUND 4 - Rotterdam (NED) Friday 22 June; ROUND 5 - Aachen (GER) Thursday 5 July; ROUND 6 - Hickstead (GBR) Friday 27 July; ROUND 7 - Dublin (IRL) Friday 10 August; ROUND 8 and FINAL - Barcelona (ESP) Sunday 16 September.
You can access all the latest Samsung Super League with FEI 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 with FEI on the FEI website www.horsesport.org-section jumping/rules and please note that the MEDIA GUIDE for the series is available in print and for download at www.samsungsuperleague.com under "Press Services" heading.
The Samsung Super League with FEI consists of the eight most prestigious horse shows at which the world's eight best national teams compare their merit. The Samsung Super League with FEI is connected to the FEI 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, Malina Geuorguiev, m.gueorguiev@horsesport.org or consult FEI website www.horsesport.org.
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