Press Release n°2,  (03/17/2000)

THE RIDERS

Entries for riders in the international classes fall into three categories, each one defined by a different deadline. For the French CSIO we therefore have:
- Advance entries, as at 7th March;
- Nominated entries, as at 11th April;
- Definitive entries, as at 25th April

The organising committee has sent invitations to the national Federations chosen for them, who will be the last to process the entries, and not the individual riders.
The regulations of the French CSIO foresee the participation of between 60 and 65 riders, maximum, split between:
- the teams: 11 nations invited, each with a team of four riders maximum, including France;
- the individuals: 11 French riders, plus between five and ten from other nations.

Foreign participation:

As at 7th March last, 10 nations had confirmed their team participation: Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland and USA.

Among those nations who have been invited to send individual representatives: Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, Ireland and Sweden.

The French:

Marcel Rozier, national showjumping trainer and Philippe Thiebaut, National Technical Director for the French Federation have stablished a pre-selected long list for the Olympic Games (see below). One can seriously confirm that the vast majority of these will be present at La Baule, except in cases where a particular horse may not be available for health or other reasons.
In this case, we are thinking of Alexandra LEDERMANN, European Champion in 1999 who, at La Baule, will still be without her glorious partner ROCHET M, who is still convalescing following an injury last autumn. In any case, she will have the opportunity of competing with her new recruit, the beautiful mare CIGALE DU TAILLIS - winners of the Geneva Grand Prix last December, and the only French couple placed (5th) in the Grand Prix Jump CCF at Paris-Bercy in March.

Following their winter break, the three tenors of the French team will return to high level competition with their eyes set on Sydney: Michel ROBERT and AULETO, individual fourth place at the last European Championships; Thierry POMEL and THOR DES CHAINES, World Championship runner-up in 1998 (individual and team); and Eric NAVET and ATOUT D'ISIGNY, World Championship runner-up in 1998 (team). In addition, their fellow team mates: Xavier CAUMONT and BALADINE DU MESNIL, winners of the Samsung Nations Cup Final 1999, or Jacques BONNET and APACHE D'ADRIERS HN, member of the French team at the European Championships in 1999.
The 1999 revelations: Gilles de BALANDA with CROCUS GRAVERIE, winner of the La Baule Grand Prix last year; Eric LEVALLOIS, returning to top level competition with DIAMANT DE SEMILLY, winner of the CSI-A Grand Prix at Jardy last September; or, once again, Eric NAVET with his young DOLLAR DU MURIER, winner of the inaugural Jump CCF final in December '99 at the Salon du Cheval.

Long list of riders pre-selected for the French Olympic team

(In alphabetical order):
Gilles BERTRAN DE BALANDA Crocus Graverie
Jacques BONNET Apache d'Adriers HN
Xavier CAUMONT Baladine du Mesnil
Fabrice DUMARTIN Allegreto
Oivier JOUANNETEAU Uélème
Alexandra LEDERMANN Rochet M, Cook du Midour
Eric LEVALLOIS Diamant de Semilly
Eric NAVET Atout d'Isigny, Dollar du Murier
Jean-Marc NICOLAS Cibèle Messipière
Thierry POMEL Thor des Chaines
Michel ROBERT Auleto
Philipe ROZIER Barbarian, Diane du Landais
Max THIROUIN Caucalis

The international classes for seven-year old horses

It is a speciality of the French CSIO that three classes will be organised and reserved specifically for the stars of tomorrow who will begin their international careers at the age of eight or nine years.
A rider involved in the CSIO classes is therefore authorised to ride a maximum of two seven-year olds.
Each national team has the right to select a maximum of four seven-year olds and, for the individual riders, one seven-year old horse.
In total there will be between 60 and 65 horses in this age-group category who will come to 'take up their role' over three separate rounds, concluding with the Grand Prix Sanders on the Sunday afternoon.