Three major cities are vying to host the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final and FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in 2018, with Paris (FRA), Las Vegas (USA) and Gothenburg (SWE) all bidding for the global indoor season finale. The deadline for receipt of bids expired at 12 midnight last night, October 1st.
Two of the venues – Las Vegas and Gothenburg – are regular hosts of the FEI World Cup™ Finals, but this is the first time that a bid has come in for the Finals to be staged in Paris.
GL Events, organisers of last year’s widely acclaimed FEI World Cup™ Finals in Lyon, as well as major annual events in Lyon and Paris, are bidding to host the 2018 Finals in the newly refurbished Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy (POPB).
Las Vegas Events (LVE), which hosted this year’s FEI World Cup™ Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center, have come back to the table with the same venue for 2018 after attempts to find an alternative location were unsuccessful, although LVE are looking at other options for future bids. LVE have now hosted six hugely popular FEI World Cup™ Finals, two in Jumping and four combined Finals with both Jumping and Dressage, at the Thomas & Mack Center, which is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment.
The Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg, which hosted the first FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final back in 1979 and a further 21 Finals since then, is now bidding for its 23rd Final and is considered by many to be the home of the FEI World Cup™ Finals. The joint Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final and Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final are already booked to return to Gothenburg next year, and Gothenburg is also the host city for the FEI European Championships 2017, when athletes in Jumping, Dressage, Para-Equestrian Dressage and Driving will be battling it out for the medals.
“We are delighted to have three global cities bidding to host the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final and FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in 2018”, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Zeender said. “The FEI has a long-standing partnership with both Gothenburg and Las Vegas, but it is also very exciting to see Paris entering a bid. We look forward to announcing the successful host city next month.”
The bid process for the 2018 Finals was reopened in August to allow LVE to come back with a revised proposal. Bidders will present to the FEI Evaluation Commission later this month, and an announcement on the successful host city for the dual Finals will be made after the FEI Bureau meeting during the FEI General Assembly in Puerto Rico on 10 November.
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