Ten of the world's best show jumping nations will compete in this year's Falsterbo Nations Cup, which takes place on Friday, July 12, at the Falsterbo Horse Show in Sweden. The requests for invitations to the Show of 2024 has been overwhelming. Therefore, the organizing committee has decided to welcome a total ten nations to the prestigious Nations Cup this year, instead of the traditional eight.
The organizers are delighted by the great interest among international riders: "It feels incredibly exciting that year after year we continue to be a top choice for the world's best show jumping nations, especially in a championship year like 2024. Falsterbo Horse Show is a prestigious and important competition in the showjumping calendar, and the riders love coming here", says Jana Wannius, President of the Falsterbo Horse Show organizing committee.
Lineup for the Agria Falsterbo Nations Cup 2024
Among the teams confirmed for Falsterbo Nations Cup 2024 are several of the world's top show jumping nations, including the host nation Sweden and last year's Nations Cup winner Switzerland. Additionally, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, the USA, Norway and Italy will compete for a total of 200,000 Euros.
Finally, Team Ireland makes a notable comeback to the competition, having last appeared in Falsterbo in 2018, where they clinched second place in the Nations Cup following a thrilling jump-off with the Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy.
Michael Blake, Chef d’Equipe for Ireland, is looking forward to the return to Falsterbo: "Falsterbo is one of the best horse shows and it has spectator’s that both understand and want to see the sport. It's wonderful that Falsterbo has maintained and kept the grass arena, because that is the best place for jumping!"
On the significance of the Nations Cup and the expectations for this years show, Michael says: "For me, the Nations Cup is extremely important and very exciting for both the crowd and the riders. It’s about the pride of the country, and the pressure of the day. You have to go in, and in two hours jump a full course twice, with 2 water jumps, while knowing that your teammates are depending on you. We are obviously coming to Falsterbo wounded (after 2018) and we would like to do something about it. We are not coming to lose! That’s for sure!"
Exactly which team Michael will bring remains to be seen, but there is no doubt it will be a strong one: "I’m waiting to see what will be the best team available. I don’t want to pick it too early. I know that Cian O'Connor wants to come with a good horse and he is always someone you can rely on, and I then need to get a few people to come with him, to make sure that we have a good team that can go for the win."
F. ©: Orange Studios for Falsterbo Horse Show