The lack of “any realistic bids” for the 2022 FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2022, has led the international equestrian federation to open bids for individual world championships “with preference being given to multi-discipline bids.”
Instead of eight separate world championships, there are now seven, with dressage and para dressage being combined at the same venue. The championships are key for the Olympics disciplines and Para because they qualify countries for the Olympics and Paralympics.
Considering the problems involved in running a WEG, well-illustrated by the 2018 edition in September, it is surprising to note that FEI President Ingmar De Vos said the call for individual or multiple championships does not necessarily mean the end of the WEG, and the organization will consider WEG bids for 2022 and 2026, along with the individual/multi-discipline world championship bids.
Accepting a bid for WEG 2022, which seems unlikely to appear anyway, would be unwise because the winner couldn’t be awarded until November 2019, which would be less than three years before the Games. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
It’s time to be realistic and just scrap the WEG concept for 2022, focusing instead on the separate or multi-discipline world championships.