WEG 2018 – Team NZ Blog, Day One

NZEquestrian.org.nz - Full Story

By Diana Dobson – HP Media Liaison

Welcome to our first WEG blog from the 2018 Games. I’ll be bringing you daily updates on all that is happening here in North Carolina.

It’s a cooler day today at the Tryon International Equestrian Centre. The beeping of heavy-duty machinery is constant and there are small armies of high viz vests everywhere but otherwise it is business as usual.

Riders are doing their arena familiarisations, out hacking or just boxing on with their preparation for what will undoubtedly be a highlight of their career.

I arrived via Houston – surely one of the best trips I have had on Air New Zealand. Spent the night in Greenville and then on to TIEC. The weather is a real mixture – hot and muggy, rain, thunder and lightning and everything in between.

The surrounds are gorgeous even if they haven’t quite got everything finished. The future TIEC will be incredible.

I have caught up with the dressage, endurance and eventing riders – most only briefly. Everyone is in good spirits and ready to get things underway proper.

We had a BBQ with the endurance team and their incredible local hosts Joe and Nancy Talley last night. Kiwi farrier Rodney King again showed what a dab hand he is at cooking the BBQ.

The remainder of the endurance crew flew in late last night – missing a bit of their luggage but all still smiling...

Read more here:
https://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/2018/09/weg-2018-team-nz-blog-day-one/

Meydan backs endurance at WEG 2018

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Group enforces commitment to equestrian sport and horse racing at Mill Spring event

Published: 16:43 September 10, 2018 Gulf News
Staff Report

Dubai: Meydan Group will be the title sponsors of endurance event at the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 (WEG), set to take place at the Tryon International Equestrian Centre in Mill Spring, Carolina, USA, from September 11-23.
The sponsorship reinforces Meydan’s ongoing commitment to equestrian sport, building on its position as a leading supporter of international horse racing and equestrian events. Meydan Group has a long-term affiliation with equestrianism, particularly endurance riding, and is dedicated to growing endurance riding through ongoing initiatives around the world.

As part of the sponsorship agreement, the WEG Endurance competition will be renamed ‘Meydan Endurance’, taking place on Wednesday (September 12), with the final circuit of the Meydan Endurance course named ‘The Meydan Loop’...

Read more here:
https://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/meydan-backs-endurance-at-weg-2018-1.2276787

For Horses, Like Elite Athletes, It’s All About the Training

NYTimes.com - Full Article

By Hannah Wulkan
Sept. 9, 2018

Some athletes are good at lifting heavy weights. Some are flexible, with great balance. Some can run for miles. The same is true of horses.

They have a wide variety of skills, and within equestrian sport there are disciplines designed to showcase them, including riding intricate patterns in reining, leaping over high obstacles in show jumping and running up to 100-mile races over tricky terrain in endurance.

The full range of the horse’s ability will be on display at the F.E.I. World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C., from Tuesday through Sept. 23, during which horses and riders from around the world will compete. The games, held by the Fédération Équestre Internationale, the sport’s governing body, happen every four years and represent the top level of competition for many disciplines...

Read more here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/09/sports/horse-training-equestrian-games.html

Meydan Group Announced as Title Sponsor OF 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ Endurance Competition

Tryon2018.com

By: WEG Admin
Sep 9, 2018

TRYON, NC, USA – September 9, 2018 – Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) is pleased to announce Meydan Group as the title sponsor of Endurance at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 (WEG), taking place this September (11 – 23).

The sponsorship further reinforces Meydan’s ongoing commitment to equestrian sport, building on its position as a leading supporter of international horse racing and equestrian events. Meydan Group has a long-term affiliation with equestrianism, particularly Endurance riding, and is dedicated to growing Endurance riding through ongoing initiatives around the world.

As part of the sponsorship agreement, the WEG Endurance competition will be renamed “Meydan Endurance,” taking place on Wednesday, September 12, with the final circuit of the Meydan Endurance course named “The Meydan Loop.”

“We are very pleased to be title sponsor of Endurance at the World Equestrian Games this September,” said Munther Muheisen, Vice President Strategy & Investment and acting Head of Corporate Communication Department of Meydan Group.

“We are committed to ensuring the sport receives the support necessary to grow and progress on a global scale. This event is a great opportunity to communicate our dedication to the sport, as well as the visionary approach of Meydan.”

Mark Bellissimo, Co-Founder and CEO of Tryon International Equestrian Center said: “We are thrilled to have Meydan on board as title sponsor of Endurance at this year’s FEI World Equestrian Games. Meydan Group’s support will be extremely beneficial, particularly for spectator experience through the enhancement of facilities such as the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Royal Pavilion. This is a very exciting partnership for Tryon 2018.”

The FEI World Equestrian Games™ is expected to attract as many as 500,000 spectators to the largest equestrian event in the world, hosting eight disciplines and over 70 nations. For more information on the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, please visit www.tryon2018.com.


ABOUT MEYDAN GROUP

Meydan is the visionary concept of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. The project is the culmination of his vision to create an integrated city that is innovatively sustainable, environmentally responsible and strategically positions Dubai at the centre of the competitive global business stage.

Meydan Group aims to link the world with the Emirate of Dubai through international equestrian events and a range of commercial developments, including hospitality, sports, entertainment, state-of-the-art business parks, residential villa communities, world-class educational and medical facilities, business towers with luxury waterfront developments and contemporary shopping destinations.

Meydan Racecourse and Grandstand are marvels of architecture and entertainment, hosting the world’s richest day in horseracing and the region’s premier sport and social event, the $35 million Dubai World Cup, which is topped by its $12 million namesake race and organised by Dubai Racing Club. Equine athleticism is further on display at Dubai Equestrian Club, which organises and hosts a series of international events, including the disciplines of endurance, dressage, show jumping and eventing at the purpose-built Dubai International Endurance City and its subsidiary Emirates Equestrian Centre. The former features the apex of endurance riding, the His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup, while the latter hosts the Dubai Show Jumping Championship.

Meydan’s real estate ventures include Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City, which covers approximately 45 million square feet of prime freehold development in the heart of Dubai, as well as Meydan Avenue, a mixed-use retail and residential development that incorporates the iconic Grandstand, The Track Meydan Golf, Meydan Tennis Academy and 285-room The Meydan Hotel at its heart. Multiple award-winning Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa is the Middle East’s premier venue of its kind, while Meydan Heights is home to premium Emirates Airline housing. Meydan One will offer an exceptional lifestyle to more than 83,000 residents with remarkable amenities and facilities, including the record-setting 711m Dubai One Tower, Meydan One Mall, a five-star hotel, civic plaza with dancing water fountains, indoor sports facility, 4km canal and marina, while the centrally located Meydan Free Zone offers a prime commercial location for high technology, superior telecommunications and business space flexibility.

For more information about Meydan, please visit www.meydan.ae.

Additional Housing for World Equestrian Games Grooms Being Installed at Tryon, Organizers Apologize for Shortfall

Dressage-news.com

September 9 2018

TRYON, North Carolina, Sept. 9, 2018–Additional housing “pods” for some of the hundreds of grooms taking care of horses at the World Equestrian Games were being installed at Tryon International Equestrian Center Sunday.

Sixty manufactured housing “pods” were already in use and 10 more were being added Sunday, a spokesperson for the WEG organization said.

Delays in providing enough housing for grooms required accommodating many at hotels with shuttles needed to get them to and from Tryon International Equestrian Center. Some others moved into cabins that had been assigned to national federation officials.

A total of up to 900 grooms–about 450 this week and 450 next week–are expected in Tryon over the next two weeks to care for horses for the championships of the world championships of eight equestrian disciplines Housing on-site has been considered vital for grooms who care for their horses around the clock...

Read more here:
http://dressage-news.com/2018/09/09/additional-housing-for-world-equestrian-games-grooms-being-installed-at-tryon/

Mark Bellissimo Responds to Public Outrage Over WEG Groom Housing

Temporary groom housing at WEG. Photo via Facebook.
EventingNation.com

By Leslie Threlkeld on Sep 9, 2018

As the athletes and their teams began to arrive and settle in at the Tryon International Equestrian Center for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games last week, there was an immediate concern regarding inadequate accommodations for the grooms who traveled with them.

It was expected that on-site, permanent housing would be available for grooms, but instead grooms were offered bunk beds in temporary tents. With Hurricane Florence expected to bring heavy rain to the Mill Spring, North Carolina area later this week, concerns have also been raised over the safety of the tents.

Following negative feedback on social media, Mark Bellissimo, co-founder and CEO of Tryon International Equestrian Center, released a statement today.

“I made a personal commitment to housing grooms on-site and I underestimated the demand. I was too optimistic. I made a mistake and I apologize. We are doing everything we can to rectify the situation,” Mark said. “Our organization has always been committed to recognizing the importance of grooms. They are a critical component to the success and well-being of these equine athletes and we have the utmost respect for their daily work...”

Read more here:
http://eventingnation.com/mark-bellissimo-responds-to-public-outrage-over-weg-groom-housing/

Definite Entry List for WEG Endurance

www.endurance.net/international/USA/2018WEG/

September 5 2018

The Definite Entry List for the World Equestrian Games endurance event has been posted.

You can see the entries, and more information here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2018WEG/