Japan & South Africa To Contest for Olympic Team Spot at Special Qualifying Event

Dong Seon Kim to ride Bukowski for Korea in the Olympic qualifying event at Perl, Germany. © SusanJStickle.com

Aug. 31, 2015

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

Japan and South Africa will battle for a team start at the 2016 Olympics Games in a special qualifying event at the Gestüt Peterhof Dressur Gala in Perl, Germany next week to join the nine nations that have so far earned a ticket for Rio de Janeiro.

South Africa will be seeking its first ever Olympic team spot while success in going into the lineup would be the third appearance at a Games for Japan in 104 years of dressage competition at the pinnacle of global sports.

Two individual slots–one group covering Africa and the Middle East and the other for Southeast Asia/Oceania as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekista–are also up for grabs.

The competition was set up specially to provide opportunities for countries that did not qualify at the World Equestrian Games, the Pan American Games or the European Championships.

Entries for the two teams vying to win an Olympic start at Perl are:

Japan
Shingo Hayashi on Ramses der II, 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding competed in Tokyo and Germany this year
Akane Kuroki on Don Luka, 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding competed by the rider in Spain and France since March this year.
Kazuki Sado on Ziroco, 11-year-old KWPN gelding that the rider began competing this year with shows in Europe over the past three months
Masanao Takahashi on Fabriano, 16-year-old Westfalen stallion that Austria’s Renate Voglsang rode for Austria at the 2012 Olympics, 2014 World Games and and 2011 and 2013 European Championships. The Japanese partnership competed in three shows in Germany this summer.

South Africa
Katherine Berning on Brisbane, 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, originally competed at Grand Prix by Great Britain’s Emma Hindle in 2011 then Sweden’s Mattias Jansson for the next two years before Katherine began competing at CDI this year with a victory in the consolation Grand Prix at Darmstadt, Germany in August
Denise Hallion on Wervelwind, 12-year-old Belgian-bred gelding by Painted Black was competed internationally at small tour in 2012 then began Grand Prix in 2013, including the World Games in 2014.
Tanya Seymour on Ramoneur 6, 13-year-old Oldenburg stallion. Tanya began competing Ramoneur at Grand Prix in March, 2013 and was on the South African team at the 2014 World Games
Nicole Smith on Victoria, 17-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare that Nicole began Grand Prix in 2011 and was the highest placed combination on the South African team at 2014 World Games.

Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain, Sweden, Spain, France, Australia, the United States as well as host nation Brazil already have slots to start at Rio, as do individuals from Canada and Mexico.

The format for Rio provides for a total of 60 dressage combinations, made up of at least 10 teams each with up to four horses and riders and the rest individuals. If a nation qualifies three individuals they can form a so-called “composite” team.

This qualifying event provides a second team from a region that had already been guaranteed an Olympic Nations Cup start through an allocation at the World Games last year that was won by Australia that placed 10th, behind Canada in ninth. The qualifying format providing for only a single Olympic team slot for the Americas in addition to the standard host nation was sharply denounced by Canada.

Individual qualifying combinations include:

Indonesia-Larasati I R Gading on Diamand Boy 8, 14-year-old Rhinelander gelding competed at 2014 Asian Games at small tour

India-Jitendarjit Singh Ahluwalia on Denightron, nine-year-old Danish Warmblood
India-Shruti Vora on Akira, 13-year-old Danish Warmblood mare competed at 2014 Asian Games at small tour

Iran-Litta Soheila Sohi on Bayford Hall Dallaglio, 15-year-old Westfalen stallion competed for five years by Great Britain’s Daniel Sherriff. Litta competed the horse at Hickstead this year

Kazakhstan-Janette Bouman on V.Power, 13-year-old KWPN gelding that first competed at Grand Prix in 2012, was ridden at the 2014 World Games then dropped back to small tour to compete at the Asian Games a month later

Korea-Dongseon Kim on Bukowski, 16-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding. Denmark’s Anders Dahl competed the horse at Grand Prix 2008-2012 with half dozen victories at CDIs in Europe. Sold to the Korean based in the United States in 2012 and since then has competed on both sides of the Atlantic including as an individual at the 2014 World Games.

Morocco-JILAOUI, Ismail Jilaoui on What A Feeling, 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding competed at small tour throughout 2014 and moved to Big Tour this year
Morocco-Fouad Zafat on Nintendo, 18-year-old German-bred gelding competed once at Grand Prix at Verden, Germany this year

Philippines-Anne Rita Bertschy on Ventoux, 13-year-old KWPN gelding, competed through Medium Tour by Spain’s Jordi Domingo Coll. Rider competed on Tension in 2010 European Young Rider Championships for Switzerland
Philippines-Ellesse Tzinberg Pavarotti 85, 16-year-old KWPN gelding competed in Under-25 Grand Prix in August after Germany’s Victoria Michalke competed horse at Grand Prix from 2011 through 2013.

Palestine-Christian Zimmerman on Cinco de Mayo, 16-year-old American-bred Holsteiner gelding competed at Grand Prix for past 4 1/2 years including at 2014 World Games; and Roble, 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding competed at small tour in 2012-2013 then brought out at Medium Tour at Barcelona in March for only CDI of year. German rider switched to Palestine in 2013

Singapore-Caroline Chew on Dr Doolittle 45, 16-year-old Hanoverian stallion, sole CDI competition for pair was Nations Cup at Hickstead, England in July

Chinese Taipei-Vivian Chang on Topolino, 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding competed at Grand Prix in 2013 and 2014 by Great Britain’s Emile Faurie; Vivian began competing horse at Grand Prix this summer
Chinese Taipei-Louisa Yeh on Pari Lani, 15-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding that Belgium’s Wim Verwimp competed Grand Prix for three years. Jorinde Verwimp competed the horse in the Under-25 division earlier this year

Correction: An earlier version incorrectly stated that Japan and South Korea would battle for Olympic team slots. The two nations are are Japan and South Africa (not South Korea).