A Fox Is Not Taken in the Same Snare Twice?! Brazil's Last Minute Olympic Team Attempt

Dressage

Brazil

At the 2023 Pan American Games in October Brazil qualified a team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games but in order to fulfil all the requirements, three Grand Prix combinations need to have achieved a Minimum Eligibility Requirement of 2x 67% in a Grand Prix before 31 December 2023.

Just like three years ago with Tokyo, the penny seems to have dropped too late in Brazil, not realizing they require to have their Certificate of Capability by the end of the year. They failed to field a team for Tokyo because of these same reasons and this year this fox seems to have been taken twice in the same snare!

This certificate states that three Grand Prix riders need to have achieved their MER. The FEI makes it confusing as they stipulate the period for achieving the certificate is between the 2022 World Championships in Herning and 31 December 2023, while on the Minimum Eligibility Requirement document, the period is 1 January 2023 - 31 January 2023.

But looking at the scores of the Brazilian Grand Prix combinations only two have fulfilled it no matter the time period: Joao Marcari Oliva and Renderson Oliveira.

Pedro Tavares de Almeida made a desperate attempt to suddenly ride Maria Amaral’s Riesenbeck Portuguese team horse Hot Hit Campline to a 67% score but stranded on 61.978% after just having been on the horse for less than two weeks. Last weekend Pedro tried in Kronenberg on his sister Luiza's Lusitano Hermes but got 63.630%. His top horse Famous do Vouga, with whole he achieve 68-69%, but the horse sadly passed away in May.

Victoria Riskalla was asked to try on a brand new horse, Walvat, and was entered for the CDI Wiener Neustadt, but she declined to compete him on such short notice. Manuel Rodrigues Tavares de Almeida has been trying with Rosa Belle, flying her from Spain to the Pan Ams in Santiago (CHI) and two weeks ago in Ocala (USA), but never scored more than 66% in the Grand Prix. With Ingenuo Interagro his GP high score was 65.478%.

One Brazilian rider, Victor Trielli Avila on Corsario IGS (by Travesso FC x Zique) has come very close with one 67,022% score achieved in Sao Paulo today, Friday 8 December (!!). The 5* judge Leif Tornblad gave him 67.717%, while the three other foreign judges scored the test 66%. The Brazilian judge had him at 68.587%. If he wants to cement that team slot for Brazil, this pair will have to fly to Thermal (USA) for the CDI on 14 - 17 December, or hope to get accepted into Frankfurt or Mechelen this month.

The Final Sprint

Otherwise Brazil loses its Olympic team spot.

The first in line to get that team slot, according to the standing on 30 November, is sister-country, Portugal, which was unable to obtain a berth in Riesenbeck. Finland and Switzerland follow in a close second and third position.

Riders need to compete actively in the last few CDI's of the year if they want to improve that position and get a team slot. As South Africa also failed to present a team, two composite team slots are available at the end of the year.