"TOKYO TOUR": results of the press conference held at the end of the qualifying tournament

09.07.2019 21:27

On Sunday, June 30, in MAXIMA PARK, the qualifying Olympic tournament- one of the most significant tournaments of this year ended. A ticket to Tokyo 2020 was played. Representatives from six countries fought for getting a team Olympic qualification: Azerbaijan, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Russia and Uzbekistan. The riders passed a two-gig route with an obstacle height of up to 160 cm. The struggle developed between the teams of Israel and Poland. At the end of the second round, the Israeli team showed the best result, securing the coveted license for the 2020 Olympic Games. The Russian team won the third prize.

After vivid competitions, a press conference with the president of the Equestrian Federation of Russia Marina Sechina and her advisor Maxim Kretov, as well as the Israeli national team was held.

Marina Sechina: “This event was held in Russia for the first time. After two General Assemblies, we managed to convince the participants of the General Assembly, and these are the presidents of the Equestrian Federation of 134 countries and their leadership, delegates, general secretaries and the FEI Bureau, to hold an event of this level in Moscow. We managed to convince everyone that Moscow is a safe, friendly and hospitable city, where we always welcome sports competitions and the success of all athletes. Sport is out of politics. The organizers have put all their patience, rich experience and professionalism in this tournament so that the Tokyo tour will be remembered by all its participants and spectators.”

Maxim Kretov: “The most basic work begins, because the struggle for personal qualifications for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 started. Therefore, we will train personal athletes. As for the work of teams, there are Nations Cups of Division 1 and Division 2. Last week the General Assembly of the European Federation in Bucharest was held and Division 2 will be changed to the Euroleague. Until the end of August, we will see the new rules for the Euroleague 2020 Team Championship. By the end of September a plan for the next year will be approved, where we will announce our team. A quota for participation in the Euroleague is allocated to our country, despite the fact that it was originally planned to include only 36 countries in Europe.” Maxim Kretov also said that the team for the Eurasian Championship, which will be held for the first time in the history of international equestrian sport, will be announced in the coming days. And the Eurasian Championship will be held from July 18 to July 21 at MAXIMA PARK.

Amihai Alpirovich, the sports manager of the Israeli team, commented: “We knew that we had to do everything we could do. We were optimistic. Until today there was a lot of pressure. Our athletes have done their best. They were all great, they all did a great job, and the second one was perfect! We are happy! This is a historic event for us. For the first time, Israel will go to the Olympics as a team.”

Member of the Israeli national jumping team, Daniel Bluman, who scored one penalty point in each round, commented on his performance: “I think I performed well in both rounds. My horse is gorgeous! Personally, I felt better in the second round, as there was already an idea of what to do. There was a lot of pressure, but I like it. It is a pity that I had penalties for the time, but I felt something special, because I knew that our team was going well."

Ashlee Bond, a member of the Israeli national umping team, who performed three knockdowns in the first round and two in the second, said that her horse felt insecure. And also, that she was very lucky with such an amazing team, which was able to smooth out her not entirely successful performances. The athlete noted that her horse, Chela ELES, had appeared in the Nations Cup for the last time. Horse is 15 years old and it is not always possible to rely on it. The horsewoman said that if she performed at the Olympics, she would definitely take another horse.

Author: Edition