The best riders from 132 preliminary competitions qualify for the final. [1] The FEI World Cup was thought up by a Swiss journalist and show jumping enthusiast, Max E. Ammann. From its inception until 1999 both the final and qualifiers were sponsored by Volvo.[2] From 1999 to 2013, the series has been sponsored by Rolex.[3] Longines has been the title sponsor of the series from October 2013.