The International Equestrian Federation (FEI), United States Equestrian (USEF) and Las Vegas Events have announced the force majeure cancellation of the FEI World Cup Finals 2020 in Las Vegas. The annual equestrian competition, featuring the Olympic disciplines of jumping and dressage, was scheduled for April 15-19 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
“Since the FEI World Cup series began in 1978 for jumping and in 1985 for dressage, the Finals have never had to be cancelled before, but the global concerns about the spread of the virus and the travel restrictions imposed by the U.S. government have meant that the Finals are one of many major sporting events impacted by this outbreak.
“Like everyone in our community, we are disappointed, not only for the athletes who have qualified for the Finals, but also for Las Vegas Events and U.S. Equestrian, and of course our top partner Longines, but the health, well-being and safety of our athletes, officials and our fans has to be our top priority. We hope we can alleviate that disappointment by returning to Las Vegas for a wonderful FEI World Cup Finals in the future.”
All ticket buyers and exhibitors will be issued full refunds. The Las Vegas Events ticket office will contact all ticket holders on the process starting the week of March 16.
About the World Cup Finals for Jumping and Dressage
The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, the world’s premiere individual jumping series, and the breeding ground of equestrian legends, is now in its 41st season, with the first Final dating back to 1979. The very best human and equine athletes from 15 leagues in 43 countries around the world battled it out to qualify for this year’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Las Vegas, hoping to claim a share in the jackpot of more than €1.3 million.
Las Vegas was due to host the Final for the sixth time, having previously welcomed the crème de la crème of the jumping world in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2015. Other Finals held in the USA were in Baltimore, Md. (1980); Tampa, Fla. (1989); Del Mar, Calif. (1992); and Omaha (2017).
The reigning Longines FEI Jumping World Cup champion is Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat with his horse Alamo, who took the 2019 title at the Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg (SWE) for his third victory in the history of the series.
The FEI Dressage World Cup series, now in its 34th season, is the most prestigious individual competition in the discipline, combining precision, athleticism and the ultimate partnership between horse and human. Dressage athletes worldwide compete across four leagues: Western European, Central European, North American (including Canada) and Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Asia), with just 18 earning their ticket to the Final.
Las Vegas has played host to the FEI Dressage World Cup Final four times, in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2015. The FEI Dressage World Cup Final also visited the USA in 1995 (Los Angeles) and 2017 (Omaha).
The reigning FEI Dressage World Cup champion is Germany’s Isabell Werth, who rode the mare Weihegold OLD to success in Gothenburg, Sweden, to claim the fifth title of her extraordinary career.
Further information on the FEI World Cup Finals 2020 in Las Vegas can be found at www.WorldCupLasVegas.com.
To follow news on cancellations due to the COVID-19 outbreak, visit www.horseillustrated.com/tag/covid-19.
