ALL SET FOR FINAL SHOWDOWN IN BARCELONA

14 September 2010 – The 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup may be over, but there is one last piece of the jig-saw to be put in place ahead of the 2011 season.  At Barcelona in Spain this coming weekend, the last remaining qualifying spot for next year’s top level series will be decided when the Meydan FEI Nations Cup Promotional League Final takes place at the Real Club de Polo on Sunday, 19 September.

Belgium has already earned a place in next year’s elite tournament after a determined, year-long Promotional League campaign that began last October in Athens, Greece and continued through nine more qualifiers at Lummen (BEL), Linz-Ebelsberg (AUT), Lisbon (POR), Sopot (POL), Istanbul (TUR), Ypaja (FIN), Drammen (NOR), Bratislava (SVK) and finally at Gijon (ESP) earlier this month.  This netted a total of 68 points which clinched a clear victory in the series and earned re-entry to top-level nations cup jumping, but they were closely followed by Italy who lined out at 11 of the 12 Promotional League events, picking up 61 points and keeping the pressure on them all the way.

CHAMPIONS
As Promotional League champions the Belgians can now rest on their laurels, but the Italians join Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Finland and Canada in the fight for the last qualifying spot which will go to the winners of next Sunday’s event in Barcelona.  And the host nation of Spain will also compete, although their result does not count toward qualification for the top-level 2011 series.  The Spanish put in a tremendous performance on their Meydan FEI Nations Cup debut this year, but sadly lost out when four of the ten competing nations were relegated at the end of the season.  They must now spend the next 12 months in the 2010/2011 Promotional League attempting to re-qualify for the super-series in 2012.

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