The FEI Nations Cup™ Final is run over three competitions, with each of the 18 national teams bidding to make it through to the top-10 Final. Team Germany reigned supreme this year, with a spectacular jump-off between newly-crowned Rio 2016 Olympic champions Nick Skelton and Big Star and Germany’s Marcus Ehning on Pret A Tout deciding the result.
FEI President Ingmar De Vos said:
“The FEI Nations Cup™ series is the jewel in the crown of the international team Jumping calendar and we are delighted to allocate the honour of hosting the Final of this flagship series to Barcelona”
“Barcelona has hosted the final since the inception of the modernised format of the series. In creating the final, we not only secured a future, but greatly increased the value of the series. We have absolute confidence in the Barcelona Organising Committee to deliver an outstanding event and together we will commemorate the ongoing legacy from the 1992 Olympic Games as the Club de Polo celebrates 25 years since it hosted the Olympic equestrian events. The significance of the FEI Nations Cup™ series has continued to increase over the years and the remodelling of the competition format in 2013 has revolutionised this team sport.”
President of CSIO Barcelona Emilio Zegrí said:
“It’s a great honour and further testament to the efficient way in which the Club has organised the Grand Final over the last four years”
“We are especially thrilled because our fifth Final will coincide with the celebrations for both the Club’s 120th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the ’92 Olympic Games. It’s now 25 years since our arena hosted the equestrian competition at those Olympics. We’ve continued to be a point of reference at a global level and we want to remain so, for the sake of both Barcelona and the Real Club de Polo itself.”