Saturday, Jul. 12, 2025

Japan Qualifies Eventing Team For 2012 Olympic Games

Japan and Australia battled it out for a spot in the eventing competition at the 2012 Olympic Games in London at the Asia-Pacific team qualifier at Blenheim Palace Int

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Japan and Australia battled it out for a spot in the eventing competition at the 2012 Olympic Games in London at the Asia-Pacific team qualifier at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in Blenheim, England, on Sept. 8-11.

Japan finished in second place, qualifying for the Games due to first-placed New Zealand’s previous qualification as bronze-medal winners at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

Australia was in the lead after dressage, but on cross-country, the 2008 Olympic individual silver medalist Lucinda Fredericks fell from Nysa de Petra, and Bill Levett had a refusal with One Two Many NJ. Brook Staples and Ever So Clever III were eliminated after two refusals in show jumping, effectively ending the Australians’ hope for direct qualification.

Yoshiaki Oiwa of Japan and his horse Gorgeous George were eliminated after a cross-country fall, but the rest of the Japanese team went clear. They held onto their lead over Australia on show jumping day.

The final results were:

1.    New Zealand, 185.8 penalties

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2.    Japan, 245.9 penalties

3.    Australia, 1158.8 penalties

Japan is the ninth country to qualify for the eventing competition at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Eleven nations will qualify directly for the Games through FEI Championships.

Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Belgium and the United States qualified at the 2010 WEG, while France and Sweden qualified at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships. Great Britain qualified as the host country.

The next event for direct qualification comes at the 2011 Pan American Games held in Guadalajara, Mexico. The two best-placed teams, excluding the United States and Canada, will qualify.

The number of countries competing at the Games could exceed 11, as composite teams made up of a maximum of five horses and riders, and a minimum of three horses and riders from the same country, can qualify through the FEI Olympic Athletes Rankings.

For more information on the qualification procedure please visit the FEI website.

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