In Like A Lion: Mourning the End of WEG

HeelsDownMag.com - Full Article

December 4 2019
By Erin Gilmore

In like a lion, out like a... well, the World Equestrian Games as we know it are just plain out. And Tryon 2018, now the final WEG on record, was anything but a lamb.

During a non-announcement/announcement regarding WEG disciplines at the FEI’s annual meeting two weeks ago in Moscow, it was revealed that the FEI has not awarded the 2022 World Equestrian Games to one bidder, but instead divided out disciplines to several different countries (Italy: eventing and driving, Denmark: show jumping, dressage, para dressage, vaulting). No one came out and plainly stated it, so I will translate for you: no more World Equestrian Games as we knew them.

I attended three editions of the WEG as a journalist and photographer and I’m just going to go ahead and say it: this news really bummed me out. Since 1990, the WEG concept had been built out until it became an all-encompassing, two-week championship of the eight FEI equestrian disciplines. The official party line is that the WEG format of all eight disciplines being held at one venue had become too expensive and unwieldy. It is true that WEG was expensive, and the concept of each of the eight FEI disciplines holding its world championship at the same venue over a two-week period is rather “unwieldy.” But damn, it was worth it...

Read more here:
https://heelsdownmag.com/in-like-a-lion-mourning-the-end-of-weg/