FEI Reported to Pledge Millions of Swedish Kroner to Underwrite World Cup Finals of Dressage & Jumping in Gothenburg

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Atmosphere that come with crowds in indoor arenas are a major attraction of the World Cup. Adrienne Lyle of the United States on Salvino at the Final in the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2019. The Final is scheduled to return to Gothenburg in 2021. File photo. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Jan. 14, 2021

Millions of Swedish kroner have been pledged by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) to insure the World Cup Finals of dressage and jumping will be staged at Gothenburg, Sweden the first week of April, the organizers disclosed Wednesday.

If held, the event will be at the Scandinavium arena that can seat more than 14,000 people but may be without spectators whose ticket prices typically cover most of the costs.

Got Events, the local government agency that operates the World Cup, reported agreement with the FEI to jointly underwrite the Finals that were scheduled for Las Vegas in 2020 but were canceled as a result of the pandemic.

The FEI financing agreement, said Got Events CEO Lotta Nibell, “shows how important the World Cup is for equestrian sports. Last year’s final had to be canceled and there has been nothing now during the winter.

“I think the federation wants to avoid canceling two years in a row. In addition, our competition is important preparation for the Olympics in Tokyo.”

The FEI said additional financial support was provided to the organizers for the Finals facing a “significant reduction of income” due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The FEI did not disclose the amount, saying it was confidential.

Three other classes, Swedish Pony, Arena Youth Tour and the jumping SWB Trophy, that were designed to fill out the lineup of shows will be moved to Billdal’s riding club the last week of March.

Correction: An earlier version reported the support as “millions of Euros”. It should read millions of Swedish kroner. There are about 10 Swedish kroner to one Euro.