Every year in December, the ten highest-ranked jumpers meet in a prestigious final in Geneva.
In addition to the honor, a total of almost five million Swedish kronor, of which the winner will receive just over 1.5 million, in prize money is at stake.
For 33-year-old Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, who is married to the Swedish national team rider Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli, Friday night’s final would have been his debut. After a successful 2021, he is for the first time ranked among the top ten in the world.
But it will not be a start for the Brazilian star and on Instagram he now tells why. In addition to being ranked among the top ten in the world, participants must also be members of the International Jumping Club IJRC.
Something that world number five Marlon Modolo Zanotelli thought he was.
“I became a member many years ago to give my support to the IJRC and because I believe in the work that the club does for the jumping world,” he writes.
The problem is that it turned out that for a couple of years he has failed to pay the annual fee, because the invoices have gone to an email address that he no longer uses.
It was only when the IJRC contacted him after it became clear that he had a place in the final via his ranking.
“Of course, when I found out, I paid the fees immediately.”
However, that did not help. As the fees were not paid on time, he is not allowed to start in the final.
In his Instagram post, Marlon Modolo Zanotelli both expresses his disappointment that no one from the IJRC heard from him by phone, or when they met during a competition, and wondered why he suddenly, after all these years, no longer wanted to be a member.
He also expresses disappointment that they did not allow him to start after he had paid in the missed annual fees.
“To be able to jump the Rolex Top 10 final has been one of my biggest dreams, and the decision is crushing,” writes Marlon Modolo Zanotelli.
In the final, he is replaced by Kevin Staut from France.
In the final, the two Swedish stars start world setter Peder Fredricson and world number three Henrik von Eckermann.
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