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Expected. I always felt this 'universality' spot was designed for Azerbaijan, but apparently even North Macedonia was too much to handle for one of the hosts.

It could be. At any rate, this shows a definite intent on Connor's side to aim for the Olympics, as he fixed his horse's passport just before the deadline for the original Olympics (he lives in Italy and has competed for them previously). https://data.fei.org/Horse/Detail.aspx?p=879A0CCB209A9DA144D787903AA165CE Saying that, this was before the whole pandemic thing, so we could still be missing some info.

Love the Croatian flag under Peters. Did not notice it at first.

Holstein, Rawlins and Connor are qualified. They are enough to form a team, but I have no idea why the Irish selector did not mention Connor in a recent interview. Merveldt can perhaps jump back if her horse shows improvement within the next couple of weeks.

Start list for tomorrow... https://results.worldsporttiming.com/event/46/competition/1219/startlist Qabil Ambak who holds the hot-seat, will go right off the bat, so that's nice. Then Singapore. Then India. Looks like it is a late withdrawal from Alex Baker... Damn. Ireland loses another option.

I am sure the athletes must appreciate this suspense 36 days before the Olympics...

Apparently the Oceanian qualifier did not count? @thiago_simoes Mexico in? https://www.gymnastics.sport/site/events/detail.php?id=15571#loaded

Cruel. Collins misses out by 0.4%. Multiple costly mistakes (first extension, first passage, zig-zag, one tempis). End of the dream for Bermuda. Venezuela or (probably) Chile it is.

But the again, those B standard athletes were always a minority and still some pure universality athletes progressed? If 56 athletes are to advance to the first round, then universality athletes stand no chance barring any injuries or false starts. This mismatch will look pretty bad on screen.

Well, that's pretty weird. Singling out one event like this. I guess preliminary stages will then have some World Ranking athletes combined with universality athletes? Talk about no-contest.

Estelle Wettstein & West Side Story (dressage) She will be joined by the reserve Antonella Joannou in the famous Aachen quarantine in July. There will be like hundreds of Tokyo bound horses in Aachen (including reserves).

Too many relay races with too many teams? Poland for example qualified 6 relays, and like none of them has a chance of making the final? IMO, both swimming relays and synchronized diving events should have 12 teams. Or at the very least 14 and 10.

Funny how Lier is always the crime scene of these Ukraine-Poland controversies. Must be the most hated Belgian town in Poland. p.s. I don't think this appeal stands a chance. If they remove Ukraine, then they also must remove the whole Chinese team.

Josip Glasnović & Sandra Perković We join the nonsense...

If only FINA was also good at checking...

There it is... https://results.worldsporttiming.com/event/46/competition/1220/startlist Only Annabelle Collins tomorrow, everyone else is going for Friday (and an extra day of training ).

Start list will be released later today.

Well, I am not sure if Ireland can decline and hope to get another. They changed the reallocation system specifically now. It used to be that a nation could select anyone from any event, as long as they have MQS. Now the reallocations are tied to one specific event.

But any change would have to be in favor of another men's event... Which makes me think that any chance of getting a women's quota is gone. Or maybe not, who knows at this point.

This week, Luhmuhlen is hosting the last CCI5* eventing competition before the Olympics. Riders from will participate. A lot of late withdrawals from the UK after Germany imposed new travel restrictions. Those restrictions were later lifted, but too late. https://tgl.luhmuehlen.de/en/competitors/nominated-entries.html

Wait, China is really sending 14 (!) women, with zero double starters (individually), and two athletes entered only for the mixed team events?

No idea. There are no more eligible athletes in women's trap (between unqualified nations), so we are in a scenario which was not foreseen in the qualification system (lol). If they reallocate it to the next two highest ranked athletes (from any nation) - If they reallocate it to the next two highest ranked athletes (not already qualified in W trap specifically) - If they reallocate it to the next two highest MQS athletes (from any nation) - If they reallocate it to the next two highest MQS athletes (not already qualified in W trap specifically) - ...

I am not sure... These probably aren't final (NED will likely decline), but I still wouldn't know if the ISSF would allow nations to choose their reallocation.

By the way, there should be further reallocations, once China / Russia decline female quotas. Unless they plan to send mixed team-only athletes, which is highly improbable.