Lexington
wins the World Equestrian Games By Maryjean Wall HERALD-LEADER
STAFF WRITER
The World Equestrian Games, an international event expected
to draw up to 300,000 people over two weeks, will be held at the Kentucky Horse
Park in 2010.
The Federation Equestre Internationale, meeting in Bahrain,
picked the Horse Park over the only other finalist, the Normandy region of France,
the Herald-Leader learned from French newspaper, Ouest France. Associated Press
confirmed the news minutes later. A team of five Kentuckians flew to Bahrain
over the weekend to make their final presentation today to the FEI. The team was
led by John Nicholson, Horse Park executive director, and John Long,
CEO of the United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. This will mark the
first time the games have been held outside Europe. The expected crowd will result
in the largest attendance ever at a sporting event in Kentucky. ”This
is a tremendous example of what Kentucky can achieve when the public, private
and government sectors work together,” said Keeneland President Nick Nicholson.
“Many people, including my brother John Nicholson, of the Horse Park,
and John Long, of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, put a lot of effort into
seeing this dream become a reality." The world games include seven
equestrian sports: show jumping, dressage, three-day eventing, driving, endurance,
vaulting, and reining. The 2006 games are schedule Aug. 22 to Sept. 3 in Aachen,
Germany. Watch kentucky.com today for further developments and get complete
analysis and coverage in Wednesday's Herald-Leader.
*
* * * * Editor's
Note: The Lexington Herald Leader points out in no uncertain terms that hosting
the WEG is a financial gamble. Equestrian
Games Are a Gamble WOULD
COST ABOUT $33 MILLION FOR LEXINGTON
TO HOST IN 2010 By Jim
Warren HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
Officials of the Kentucky Horse
Park and the U.S. Equestrian Federation estimate that it would cost about $33
million to put on the World Equestrian Games in 2010, but they expect to make
that much and more from ticket sales, TV deals, sponsorships and other revenue
generators.
That's based on the expectation that the event would bring about
300,000 people to Lexington from 40 or more countries. Some experts say
it's difficult to predict just how successful the games might be, and previous
events have not been without problems. The 1994 World Equestrian Games in
the Netherlands were plagued by organizational snags, and Ireland had to back
out of plans to hold the 1998 games when the Irish government elected not to provide
funding. But Kentucky officials say the horse park's worldwide reputation,
vast facilities and long track record of holding major equestrian events constitute
unique advantages that should make for successful games. "The games
would have the largest economic impact of any event ever brought to Kentucky,"
said sports marketing executive Jim Host, who has worked on Lexington's
bid to host the games and until recently was Kentucky's commerce secretary. "The
international TV exposure alone would be unlike anything that's ever happened
in this part of the country," Host said. That's if the games
come to Lexington, and there won't be a decision on that until December. (The
decision was made on the morning of December 5th, 2005) The Horse Park
and the equestrian federation are polishing the joint presentation they will make
to the Federation Equestre Internationale at its meeting in Bahrain on Dec. 6. A
group representing the Normandy area of France -- thought to be the only other
finalist -- also will present a bid. The FEI is expected to announce a decision
that day. If Lexington is selected, it would be the first city outside Europe
ever to host the games. "I certainly would never declare victory before
we've been selected, but I am confident that we've put together the best bid we
possibly can," said John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky
Hose Park. "But I think we have to proceed as if we're going to be awarded
the games, because we'll need to get moving just as soon as a decision is made
in order to be ready." With the games five years away, much could change.
But Nicholson says the budget for staging the event will be about $33 million,
including the cost of security, extra personnel, seating and other items. One
big part of that expense would be a temporary 25,000-seat stadium, which would
be the site for the games' opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a venue
for some of the competitions. The facility would be disassembled afterward. "It
would be a temporary structure, but it wouldn't look temporary," Nicholson
said. The cost of putting on the games would be covered by ticket sales,
TV contracts and sponsorships. According to Nicholson, the Lexington games
would have seven to 10 major sponsors, plus other sponsorships. While the
FEI would retain television rights to broadcast the Lexington games live in Europe,
the Horse Park and the U.S. Equestrian Federation probably would receive North
American television rights. Nicholson said he expects that they would contract
with some U.S. sports cable channel for live coverage, and possibly with a mainstream
network for regular summaries. Meanwhile, park officials plan millions of
dollars of improvements under a separate budget to get the Horse Park ready for
the games, which are scheduled for Sept. 20 to Oct. 3, 2010. These include: •
A permanent indoor arena for equestrian events, expected to cost about $35 million. •
Improvements to the roads that run through the 1,200-acre park, which would cost
between $4 million and $5 million. • A 250-room resort hotel near the
horse park's entrance on Ironworks Pike. Nicholson said the hotel
is expected to cost nearly $30 million; it is being developed privately. Koll
Development Co. of Dallas has been awarded a contract to build it, and construction
is planned to start in June. Both the indoor arena and road resurfacing
work will be financed through state bonds. While those projects will provide additional
enhancement for the World Equestrian Games, they are necessary to upgrade the
Horse Park even if the equestrian games aren't held here, Nicholson said. The
World Equestrian Games have been held four times since being unveiled in Stockholm
in 1990. The fifth edition is set for Aachen, Germany, next year. According
to FEI's Web site, Aachen officials expect 500,000 visitors -- they say they already
have received 200,000 ticket orders -- and the games are predicted to generate
an economic benefit of 230 million euros (about $275 million U.S. dollars) for
Germany. But the games have had some rough spots before. "The
1994 games in the Netherlands (The Hague) were an absolute disaster, with
budget difficulties, organizational problems, lack of accommodations for some
riders and grooms," said Daniel Bell, research director for the Amateur Athletic
Foundation of Los Angeles and author of the Encyclopedia of International Games. The
1998 equestrian games, scheduled for Ireland, had to be switched to Rome
(Pratoni del Vivaro) when the Irish government decided in 1997 not to provide
money to help organizers prepare. However, the Rome games reportedly were successful.
Although the event was in strong form by 2002, a lack of permanent stabling for
the games in Spain (Jerez de la Frontera) that year forced some competitors'
horses to be stabled in tents, which flooded when it rained. The British
considered bidding for the 2010 games, but decided not to proceed because of the
costs involved and because England already was scheduled to hold some major international
events. "These games are sort of like the Olympics, some do well and
some don't, and it's very fluid," Bell said. The key to pulling
off a major international event like the World Equestrian Games is having "an
enormously strong personality" to ramrod things, Bell said. "For
Kentucky that would be someone who is really passionate about the state, the horse
park, and Lexington, and who has the skills to motive people and work with people
from 50 different countries," he said. Lexington has three leaders
on board: Nicholson and U.S. Equestrian Federation CEO John Long
(they will jointly present Lexington's bid in Bahrain), plus Host, who
says he'll continue working to help the games, even though he no longer works
for the state. Ken Troske, director of the University of Kentucky
Center for Business and Economic Research, said predicting how successful the
games might be in Lexington is difficult because the event has no track record
outside Europe. "Using the experience of cities in Europe to make an
estimate of what might happen here is kind of dicey," Troske said.
"From London or Paris, it's a fairly short train ride to Aachen. You can
rent a car in Cologne and drive to Aachen in an hour. But it's hard to predict
how many of those people might come over here. If they'd had the games even once
outside Europe, it would give you something to go by." However, Nicholson
said the fact that the games have not been held outside Europe should be a boost
if the event comes to Lexington. "There would be a lot of novelty in
them being the first non-European games," he said. Nicholson
added that organizers think the Lexington games also would get strong attendance
from Europe, South America and parts of Asia where equestrian sports are highly
popular. Lexington's bid is made stronger by the fact that the Kentucky
Horse Park already has enough facilities to stage the event almost entirely on-site,
he said. The endurance riding course would have to extend off horse-park
property, he said, but every other event could be held within the park's 1,200
acres. The park also has more than enough stalls to accommodate all the horses
that would be coming, he said. Finally, Nicholson said, the Horse
Park has a worldwide reputation for successfully staging major equestrian events,
dating back to the World Championship Three-Day Event at the park in 1978 and
including the Rolex Three-Day Event held at the park annually. "No
place in the world can do a three-day event as well as we can," he said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff
writer Alicia Wincze and news researcher Linda Niemi contributed to this report.
Editor's
Note: John Nicholson might better have said, "No place in this hemisphere
can do a three-day event as well as we can." Clearly
he has never been to Badminton
or Burghley,
or the Equestrian Games in Sydney, Australia, or, if he has been to these World
Class venues, he was not paying attention! *
* * * * The
FEI Bureau today awarded the FEI 2010 World Equestrian (GAMES) to Kentucky (USA).
Delegations
representing both bids – Kentucky (USA) and the region of Basse-Normandie
(Northern France) – have travelled to Bahrain in order to make a final decisive
presentation to the FEI Bureau this morning. “Both presentations were
very impressive” commented FEI President HRH The Infanta Doña Pilar
de Borbón. “We were in presence of two excellent candidates, both
with a strong political backing and a recognised organisational know-how”,
she went on. “Basse Normandie and Kentucky are “horses” area and
can count on the enthusiastic support of local experts in the field of equestrian
sport, and on thousands of volunteers”. Kentucky won the bid by a large
majority. ”We are incredibly gratified to have been selected by the FEI,”
stated John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park. “We
are mindful of our great responsibility to properly organise the first non European
FEI World Equestrian Games” he added. The FEI Games are expected to
have an economic impact of nearly USD 100 millions for the commonwealth of Kentucky.
The Kentucky Horse Park will play host of the FEI Games at the end of September
2010. “We are working on our candidature for 8 years. Within the hour
the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games had been allocated to Aachen, we started working
on our bid for 2010,” John Nicholson explained. The FEI World
Equestrian Games are the combination of the World Championships of all the FEI
disciplines held concurrently at the same location. The first edition took place
in 1990 in Stockholm and was a great success. It was followed by the The
Hague (The Netherlands) in 1994, Rome (Italy) in 1998, Jerez de
la Frontera (Spain) in 2002. Some 800 riders, drivers and vaulters and their
horses, 1,000 media representatives and at least 300,000 spectators are expected
to gather in the German city of Aachen in 2006 for the fifth FEI World
Equestrian Games. Competitions – both team and individual – in seven
FEI disciplines will be staged: Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Vaulting,
Endurance, and Reining. To clarify the ownership of the FEI World Equestrian
Games and to establish an impacting long term brand structure, a new identity
has been unveiled: the “FEI Games”. This new brand will be understood
by all and improve the marketability of the most prestigious property of the FEI
portfolio. For high resolution logo of the FEI Games, please contact FEI
Brand Manager Marcus Brugger at m.brugger@horsesport.org For quotes
of Kentucky representatives, please contact John Nicholsons at +1 859 509
1440. To contact the Basse Normandie representatives, call Nicolas Sokolowski
at +33 6 098 24 098 * * * * * UNITED
STATES WINS BID TO HOST 2010 WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES 
First Time Outside of Europe, the United States Will
Host World’s Largest Equestrian Competition
at Kentucky Horse Park
in Lexington, Kentucky LEXINGTON,
KY – For the first time, the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) will be held
outside of Europe in 2010, when the games come to the United States. Under the
leadership of Governor Ernie Fletcher and his administration, Kentucky’s
bid to host the games at the  Kentucky
Horse Park came through victorious over Normandy, France in an announcement made
half-way around the world in Bahrain.(Governor Fletcher is pictured at the
right with David O'Connor, President of the US Equestrian Federation, at a Press
Conference at the Kentucky Horse Park. Marc Manning Photo, courtesy of the USEF.)
The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), which is the
international governing body for non-racing equestrian sports, made the decision
that the games will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky,
the Horse Capital of the World. As the games are expected to have
a $100-million economic impact on the state of Kentucky, Governor Ernie Fletcher,
whose campaign platform included promises to strengthen and improve the state’s
equine industry, was understandably all smiles as he made the announcement to
an expectant and enthusiastic crowd of industry leaders gathered at the Kentucky
Horse Park. He observed, “This will be an unprecedented opportunity for our
Commonwealth to showcase itself to the world. It is both fitting and proper that
Kentucky should serve as the host for this prestigious series of events.”
He continued, “We are known as the epicenter of the equestrian world and
we have a deep appreciation for all things having to do with the horse. We also
have a rich history in the equestrian arena that sets us apart from virtually
every other region in the world. I know that we will stage a very successful series
of competitions and I know that the world will gain a new appreciation for the
beauty of our state and the hospitality of our citizens.” John
Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park, now has the honor
and responsibility of hosting and shouldering the WEG. “This will be the
first time that the FEI World Equestrian Games will be staged at a single venue.
That’s because there isn’t another site in the world that has the facilities
that are available at the Kentucky Horse Park. When all was said and done, I believe
that Kentucky’s heritage as the Horse Capital of the World, combined with
the world-class facilities at the park, were what won the games for our state.
It will be the park’s privilege and distinction to represent the United States
to the world via the games.” Reporting via telephone from
Bahrain, Nicholson expressed his excitement, talked about the bid process
and answered questions from the media. The WEG are comprised of
the world championships for seven equestrian sports: show jumping, dressage, eventing,
driving, endurance, vaulting and reining. The games are held every four years,
in the middle of the Olympic cycle, and are governed by the FEI, based in Lausanne,
Switzerland and recognized by the International Olympic Committee. A
five-member delegation consisting of John Nicholson, executive director
of the Kentucky Horse Park, Rob Hinkle, director of operations at the Kentucky
Horse Park, Derrick Ramsey, deputy secretary of the Commerce Cabinet, Tandy
Patrick, chair of the Kentucky Horse Park Commission, and John Long,
chief executive officer of the United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. made
the final, winning presentation. The games will take place during
two weeks in the fall of 2010 and have estimated ticket sales of 300,000. More
than 1,000 athletes representing 50 countries are expected to participate. The
games will be broadcast live from the Kentucky Horse Park to 40 countries and
reported by more than 1,000 members of the international media.
“The World Equestrian Games is the very essence of what equestrian sport
stands for,” said United States Equestrian Federation President and Olympic
Gold Medal-athlete, David O’Connor. “It is simply the pinnacle
of equestrian sport for each of the seven disciplines it represents. It is for
the love of competition and in the true spirit of international comradery that
we celebrate the World Equestrian Games and what they stand for — the unmatched
athletic ability of horse and rider and their unparalleled partnership. This is
truly a once-in-a-lifetime event and the United States Equestrian Federation is
thrilled to be a part of bringing the 2010 Games to the Kentucky Horse Park.”
Contact for Commerce Cabinet Chris Gilligan (502)
564-4270 (office) (502) 330-4967 (cell) Contact for Kentucky
Horse Park: Lisa Jackson (859) 259-4224 For more information,
please contact Sarah Lane, Public Relations Manager, on (859) 225-6974 or via
e-mail at Sarah.Lane@usef.org. USEF press releases can be found on our website,
www.usef.org.
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