A world-class field will be competing at this week’s Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials (8-11 September 2011) and the event will also welcome three nations - Japan, New Zealand, and Australia - for its London 2012 team Eventing qualifier for Africa, Middle East, South East Asia and Oceania (FEI Olympic Groups F and G). South Africa will be represented by individual riders.

Japan and Australia will be vying to secure the opportunity to join host nation Great Britain along with Canada, New Zealand, USA, Germany and Belgium, who qualified at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010, as well as France and Sweden, the two nations that secured Olympic participation at the recent HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships.

The London 2012 Team qualifier at Blenheim will run as part of the CCI3* competition. Only one nation will qualify for London 2012.

“Blenheim is synonymous with Olympic qualification,” explained Catrin Norinder, FEI Director of Eventing & Olympic. “In 2003, Blenheim hosted a qualifier for the 2004 Athens Olympics; a second Olympic qualifier in 2007 was organised in view of the 2008 Beijing Games. The best team from this year’s Asia Pacific Eventing Championship, excluding New Zealand who have already qualified, will secure Olympic participation and we wish the riders and their horses the best of luck.”

London 2012 Qualification
The qualification system for Eventing for the 2012 Olympic Games can be consulted at this link.

London 2012 - Equestrian timetable
London 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement.

The Olympic Opening Ceremony on 27 July will be followed by 12 days of equestrian competition, with the world’s best athletes competing for six gold medals in the Olympic disciplines of Eventing, Dressage and Jumping.

Eventing opens the Olympic equestrian events on 28 July with two days of Dressage, followed by Cross-Country on 30 July and two rounds of Jumping on 31 July to decide the Team and Individual medals.

Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials
Further information on the event can be found and advance bookings made here.