Olympic Selection Process

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boa

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Now with the qualification period over for this years Olympics can anyone explain why the system is so difficult to understand and why some of the top countries were scrambling to try and gain points. Surely the olympics should include a full team from the like of Ireland who have only managed to secure 3 riders thus far in eventing.
 
there isn't enough room/time to have a full team from every one of the countries who would like to field one, is my understanding of it. there can only be 1 day of xc so numbers have to be kept controlled. i don't think any of the 'top countries' were truly struggling to qualify (well, iirc Aus sent their B team to qualify last year at Blenheim and things went awry, but sending B team prob wasn't the best idea for something so important!) but I might have forgotten another team, in which case I'll wait to be corrected...
 
Hi Boa - nice to see you starting a thread that isn't about gaiters/boots ;)

I think the problem is the fact that eventing is so Europe-centric, so a country like Ireland and, I think, Italy(?) which stuffed up its qualification a couple of times loses out, while lesser nations in regions like Asia Pacific and Central/South America cruise in. The situation was then compounded by Australia's carelessness in not qualifying as a team, poor performance at WEG then a bit of complacency at the special Blenheim qualifier letting Japan in instead. That meant that the Aussies have made it their business to dominate the world rankings which, let's face it, they have to firepower to do, to ensure they qualified five individuals ie a full Olympic team. That has put an additional squeeze on the Irish, who would have qualified five themselves (I believe) if the Aussies above them in the rankings had been excluded, which they would have been if Australia had qualified as a team... Errr, simples :o :p
 
But there is still an additional potential for more space as stupidly the Argentinians have qualified through the Pan Am games which is only 2* and not a single horse or rider is qualified for the Olympics as none currently have a 3* qualification to their name.

The one I always think is slightly ridiculous is Jamaica qualifying with Sam Albert but I guess they are counted as North American and both the Canadians and USA have their spots.

Finally my understanding is that now Ireland has qualified a team those riders do not actually have to go. All they have done is secured the spots for Ireland. So if Sam Watson pulled out an amazing performance at Badminton for instance he could still be in the running for a final spot at the expense of say perhaps Mark Kyle.
 
LEC said:
Finally my understanding is that now Ireland has qualified a team those riders do not actually have to go. All they have done is secured the spots for Ireland. So if Sam Watson pulled out an amazing performance at Badminton for instance he could still be in the running for a final spot at the expense of say perhaps Mark Kyle.
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Yes that is right, but whoever gets to go there will only be three of them, unfortunately, so no margin for error...
 
Unless Argentina fails and then I think they squeeze some more in.
 
Ireland have 3 spots qualified but they are also 1st and 3rd on the reserve list - so if any team already qualified cannot fill their 5 places the reserves will get the spots - meaning that ireland still has a chance of fielding a full team.
 
Argentina (and everyone else) now have until mid June to get their 4* qualification. If they don't get it or decide not to take all their places then the competition is filled off the reserve list. The Irish have 2 riders in the top five of the reserves so have every chance of taking a full team but, as LEC says, those riders that have got the places don't necessarily get to go - they can take any 4*qualified combination.
 
only_me said:
Ireland have 3 spots qualified but they are also 1st and 3rd on the reserve list - so if any team already qualified cannot fill their 5 places the reserves will get the spots - meaning that ireland still has a chance of fielding a full team.
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Good news, nothig against Argentina but would like to see the Irish at full strength and there are more than three of them who deserve a shot :)
 
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