Big cities battle to host World Cup 2018

Three major cities are hoping to host the Longines FEIWorldCup Jumping and Dressage in 2018 – with a new contender vying for the job.

Stiff competition

Las Vegas and Gothenburg in Sweden are regular hosts of the WorldCup Finals, but this is the first time an offer has come in from Paris.

The brains behind the French bid are GL Events, who ran last year’s FEIWorldCup Finals in Lyon. Their plan is to host the 2018 Finals in the newly refurbished Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy (POPB).

They are up against stiff competition, however, as Las Vegas has hosted six FEIWorldCup Finals, including this year’s event, while Gothenburg held the first WorldCup Jumping Final back in 1979 and has since run a further 21.

Home turf

Las Vegas Events (LVE) is proposing to use the same venue as this year for the 2018 competition, after attempts to find an alternative location were unsuccessful. However, the Thomas & Mack Center is currently being renovated.

The Scandinavium Arena is considered by many to be the home of the WorldCup Finals. The joint WorldCup Jumping and Dressage Finals are already due to return to Gothenburg next year. The city is also hosting the FEI European Championships 2017.

‘Exciting’

“We are delighted to have three global cities bidding to host the Longines FEIWorldCup™ Jumping Final and FEIWorldCup™ Dressage Final in 2018,” said FEI secretary general Sabrina Zeender.

“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 [10 November].”