Will the dream of the Equestrian World Championships 26 come true?
For Aachen there is no relief until Mexico
October 18, 2023, 4:20 p.m
Aachen would like to host equestrian world championships again and invest millions in the CHIO. They rely on a special strategy. They want to have everything. Nobody else can offer that.
Who else should prevent the 2026 Equestrian World Championships in Aachen? The CHIO organizer is the only applicant for five disciplines. Nevertheless, Stefanie Peters warns. “It’s not automatic,” says the president of the Aachen-Laurensberger Racing Club (ALRV). “We can’t be sure that the World Championships will come to Aachen.” “Contract negotiations still have to be completed” before the announcement by the world association FEI in November. And above all, a crucial point needs to be clarified before around 70 million euros can be invested.
The makers of the world’s largest equestrian tournament want to organize six disciplines in three years. Only in eventing there are two competitors with Boekelo and Burghley, which complicates things. Aachen relies on the strategy: all or nothing. “We told the FEI that,” says Peters. The FEI can hardly refuse this because there are no other applications for five disciplines. The announcement will be made at the General Meeting from November 18th to 21st in Mexico City.
The concept of the World Equestrian Games with all equestrian sports in one place no longer exists. In contrast to Aachen, several of the eight organizers since 1990 have had major financial problems. “We were the only organizer that came out with a clean slate,” explains Michael Mronz, the CHIO’s head of marketing.
Aachen wants to invest in the future
That’s why the people of Aachen have the confidence to host competitions in the Olympic disciplines of dressage, jumping, eventing as well as para-dressage, driving and vaulting at the same time, twenty years after the 2006 World Equestrian Games. Aachen combines its application “with important investments to further develop the tournament facility,” explains Mronz. The CHIO makers want to “push this forward in order to remain number one in equestrian sport”. A new stadium for para-equestrian riding is planned, which will also be integrated into the CHIO. “On the other hand, we are planning a completely new hall.”
According to Mronz, the construction work will only be completed after the World Cup, not at the World Cup. “They would perhaps be ready in 2027,” says the head of marketing. “The target photo is not the World Cup, but the further development of the CHIO Aachen.” More money is to be spent on this than in 2006. At that time, according to Mronz, there was “a total operational and investment budget of 40 million euros. And now we are in the order of 75 million euros for 2026.”
Around 50 million of this is earmarked for investments. “We have a commitment of around 20 million euros from the Rheinisches Revier Future Fund because it is about jobs,” explains Mronz.
The ALRV is debt-free, “so that we are able to raise the necessary debt capital. We still need further public support and economic partners for the equity capital.” Discussions are taking place “at various levels”. According to Peters, there are still discussions with the world association about “television rights, marketing rights and the like.” Mronz says: “There are definitely points where it could be that we don’t come to an agreement and that we don’t get the contract either.” The marketing expert emphasizes: “From that point of view, it remains exciting until Mexico.”