Record Number of Nations Declare Participation in 2014 WEG

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Edited Press Release
Apr 02, 2014

Seventy-two national federations (NFs) have declared their intention to participate in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) 2014 in Normandy, France, meeting the 31 March deadline for entries in principle. The number is an all-time high and represents a 10% increase compared to the entries in principle for any of the previous WEGs .

At this initial stage, the NFs have indicated the disciplines in which they intend to be represented by a team or individual athletes. Although the final participation will be confirmed first by the nominated and ultimately by the definite entries, this is a significant first step in the games entry process.

The disciplines that have attracted the greatest number of nations are jumping with 57 NFs, followed by endurance with competitors from 50 countries. Australia, Austria, host nation France, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United States have entered teams in all FEI disciplines: jumping, dressage, para-dressage, eventing, driving, endurance, vaulting, and reining.
Breakdown by Discipline

Jumping: 57 NFs (41 teams; 16 NFs with one or two individual riders)
Endurance: 50 NFs (40 teams; 10 NFs with one or two individual riders)
Dressage: 39 NFs (28 teams; 11 NFs with one or two individual riders)
Para-Dressage: 34 NFs (24 teams; 10 NFs with three or four individual riders)
Eventing: 29 NFs (23 teams; 6 NFs with one or two individual riders)
Vaulting: 29 NFs (20 squads; 14 pas-de-deux; 23 NFs with one to three female vaulters; 15 NFs with one to three male vaulters)
Reining: 25 NFs (19 teams; 6 NFs with one or two individual riders)
Driving: 19 NFs (15 teams; 4 NFs with one individual driver)

Twelve countries will be making their WEG debut—Hong Kong, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Morocco, Mauritius, Peru, Palestine, Romania, Thailand, and Tunisia—demonstrating the increased globalization of the FEI’s flagship event.

The full list of entries in principle is available on the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 website.

“We are delighted with the strong interest the national federations are showing in this summer’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games,” FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos said. “It is very exciting to welcome new nations from all over the world to the FEI’s biggest event. The majority of the nations that will be participating for the first time have indicated their intention to send teams or individuals in more than one discipline, which shows how well our sport is developing all around the world. These are exciting times and I am looking forward to a successful record-breaking Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy.”

Laurent Cellier, the games' sports director, added, “The number of nations wishing to participate in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy demonstrates how enthusiastic everyone is about this major event. We are looking forward to welcoming all the nations here in Normandy. With only 144 days to go, the entire organizing committee is hard at work to ensure all our guests enjoy their stay and to make them feel welcome.”

The next deadlines in the entry process for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy are as follows:

Nominated entries:

June 24: Endurance
July 21: All other disciplines

Definite entries:

August 14: Dressage, para-dressage, eventing, endurance, and reining
August 21: Jumping, driving, and vaulting