2024 Paris Olympic Format to be Approved at 2021 FEI General Assembly. Teams of Three Retained

Dressage

FEI

The FEI will be discussing and approving the 2024 Paris Olympic format for dressage and its qualification system at the FEI General Assembly taking place in Antwerp, Belgium on 14 - 17 November 2021.

Format Discussed at the FEI General Assembly

"Taking into account the very short time constraints due to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games and as communicated to National Federations the Equestrian Qualification System for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (the “Paris 2024 Qualification System”) is to be reviewed as a priority for approval by the FEI General Assembly in November 2021," the FEI communicated.

A discussion about the proposed Paris 2024 Qualification System will take place on 16 November 2021 during the FEI Rules & Regulations Session.

The Eligibility requirements (MERs) and re-allocation procedures will be submitted to the 2022 FEI General Assembly in order to review procedures with the IOC. The Paris 2024 Olympic regulations including competition formats, technical regulations, eligibility requirements (MER) and re-allocation procedures of the Qualification systems will eventually be approved by FEI General Assembly in November 2022.

Paris Format Similar to Tokyo

The three German riders that won team gold in Tokyo

For dressage the proposed quota will stay at 60 riders, while show jumping and eventing get to send 75 and 65 combinations to the Olympics.

In addition, teams will continue to consist of three riders per nation, just like in Tokyo. Fifteen teams will compete in Paris. Fourteen (14) team quota places will be allocated through team championships or at an FEI Designated Olympic Qualification Event and one (1) as a Host Country place.

Qualification Pathway

FEI Olympic Groups as referred to through the qualification procedure are based on the following seven (7) geographical regions:
A - North Western Europe;
B - South Western Europe;
C - Central & Eastern Europe; Central Asia;
D - North America;
E - Central & South America;
F - Africa & Middle East;
G - South East Asia, Oceania.

The team quota will be decided as following:

The six (6) best ranked teams from the 2022 World Dressage Championships in Herning excluding the Host Country team.
The three (3) best ranked teams from the 2023 European Dressage Championship in Riesenbeck from FEI Olympic Groups A and/or B excluding teams qualified above.
The (1) best ranked team from an FEI Designated Olympic Qualification Event, from FEI Olympic Group C excluding teams qualified as above.
The (2) two best ranked teams from Group D and/or Group E at the 2023 Pan-American Games, excluding the teams qualified above.
The (1) best ranked team from Group F from the 2022 World Dressage Championships in Herning or if this quota is not filled at the 2022 World Dressage Championships the quota will be allocated at a 2023 Group F FEI Designated Olympic Qualification Event, excluding the teams qualified above.
The (1) best ranked team from Group G from the 2022 World Dressage Championships in Herning or if this quota is not filled at the 2022 World Dressage Championships the quota will be allocated at a 2023 Group G FEI Designated Olympic Qualification Event, excluding the teams qualified above.

Individual quota will be decided according to the FEI Olympic Ranking system.

The FEI Olympic Ranking is limited to the highest four (4) results per Athlete/Horse combination in these events with a maximum of one result per event, within the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 included. The point system, including the list of events, to be used for establishing the FEI Olympic Ranking – Dressage, will be published in December 2022 and distributed to NOCs/NFs.

Dina Ellermann competing as an individual rider in
Tokyo for her country Estonia

A total of 15 individual athletes will qualify for Paris. They are:

The two (2)* best ranked Athletes, maximum one (1) per NOC, in the FEI Olympic Ranking – Dressage from each of the five (5) below-mentioned groups will qualify one (1) individual quota place each for their NOC:
A – North Western Europe
B – South Western Europe
C – Central & Eastern Europe; Central Asia
F – Africa & Middle East
G – South East Asia, Oceania
The two (2)* best ranked Individual Athletes from the Pan Am Games 2023 and the two (2)* best ranked athletes in the FEI Olympic Rankings from Groups D & E, maximum one (1) per NOC, will qualify one (1) individual quota place each for their NOC:
D & E - North America, Central and South America
One (1) quota place will be allocated to the NOC of the best ranked Athlete in the FEI Olympic Rankings – Dressage excluding NOCs qualified above

Alternate Athletes

Jose Garcia Mena was the only rider in Tokyo who
ended up riding his alternate horse in the Grand Prix
Special, as part of the FEI Olympic Tokyo format that
allowed a horse swap in the second test

Alternate Athletes are non-competing Athletes, and are not included within the Athlete’s quota.

Each team which has obtained qualification is entitled to one (1) alternate Athlete and one (1) alternate Horse for a total of 15 alternate Athletes and 15 P alternate Horses for Dressage.

Complete document of the proposed Olympic format that will be discussed in Antwerp here.