Fast Emerging as the ‘Capital of Equestrian Sports’ in America, Floridian Town Gets Chosen for the Longines League of Nations Cup

Longines League of Nations is the revamped face of the iconic nations cup. It comprises of rich past and needs a dynamic future upholding equestrian values and traditions.  The new league will start next year and includes qualifiers and the final. For this bids were invited for hosting the events for four seasons from 2024-2027.

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports(FEI) announced five venues that have been selected for the event. Four of them will host the qualifiers and the other one shall host the final. Among the qualifiers host is the emerging capital of equestrian sports Ocala. The news has elated the equestrian fans in the country and are ready to host the event with open hearts.

World Equestrian Center, Ocala selected for Longines League of Nations

The World Equestrian Center at Ocala will host the qualifiers for the Longines League of Nations for the next four seasons. It is the only site in North America or the whole Americas region to host such an event. World Equestrian Center is a  378-acre complex built with the purpose to host world-level equestrian competitions.

The center has the best equine stables, state-of-the-art arenas, and expansive stadiums. It also has versatile outdoor space, sporting fields, and well-appointed exposition centers. It provides a family-friendly atmosphere and has five-star on-site accommodations and other multiple dining options. Speaking on the achievement Roby Roberts, WEC CEO said, “We are grateful to the FEI for choosing World Equestrian Center – Ocala to host this prestigious event and thank US Equestrian for its support through the bid process.”

Speaking highly about the center he said that it was built on a set of three core values, which were quality, class, and distinction. According to him, the new event embodies that same values and they shall obtain their objective of hosting the best equestrians in the world at their center through it. The other three venues for the qualifier are Abu Dhabi, UAE, St. Gallen, Switzerland, and Rotterdam, Netherlands. The finals will be held in Barcelona, Spain.  Next year at Ocala the Longines League of Nations qualifiers will take place on March 20-24.

The Longines League of Nations

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports wanted to give a fresh look to the century-old equestrian series. For this, a dedicated task force was formed which worked for six months to come up with the format of the new series. This series encompasses a unified global format for equestrian competition. In it, the top 10 nations shall compete at four top venues in order to qualify for a Final. At the finals, the best eight teams will go head-to-head and the leader will be crowned the Longines League of NationsChampion.

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The format of the series is approved by the FEI Jumping Committee. It consists of two rounds. In the first four athletes from all 10 teams shall participate and the three best scores will be counted. In the second the best eight teams compete with three athletes in reverse order carrying forward their penalties of the first round. The same format will be for the finals.

The new format is an effort to revamp and give a more global look to the equestrian event and spread its acceptability across the world.

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