(Official) Demise of the World Equestrian Games and New Championships

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Pippa Cuckson is relieved the next world championships have been awarded to specialist organisers – though endurance 2022 may still present a dilemma.

By: Cuckson Report

Given my long-held dislike of the all-sports-in-one basket World Equestrian Games format, various friends have asked why I hadn’t immediately celebrated WEG’s demise, when the FEI announced its multiple 2022 world championship allocations on November 16th.

I’d held off, waiting for the delayed decisions on endurance and reining. Their 2022 world championships were to be announced after make-or break-votes at the FEI General Assembly (GA) in Moscow on November 19th, over new rules and retention within the FEI respectively.

But it turns out that deciding “after” November 19th did not mean while everyone is still in Moscow. The FEI board won’t finalise these last two world championships until its December tele-conference. I’ve also been half-waiting for news that bidding will be re-opened for endurance 2022, because options shrink by the day – more of that below.

The FEI has a proclivity for self-harm, so I would not have been surprised if it had gone for another full-blown WEG, despite conceding after Tryon that the format isn’t sustainable. It must have been very tempting to choose WEG Italy or Saudi Arabia.

But luckily, common sense prevailed. World championships for 2022 have so far been split between two countries with a strong heritage in the Olympic disciplines, especially. Jumping, dressage, para and vaulting goes to Herning, Denmark, and eventing and driving to Pratoni, Italy...

Read more here
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report/demise-world-equestrian-games-new-championships/