Following yesterday's announcement of the intention to hold the Helgstrand Dressage Freestyle competition on Monday morning due to extreme rainfall forecast for Sunday's original time slot of 8.30am, further discussions have been taking place to review the options available to reschedule. Despite the best efforts of the whole Tryon 2018 team and the Officials, who have been working on plans for rescheduling since yesterday evening, including meetings with the Chefs de Mission and Chefs d'Equipe, the logistics of putting all necessary elements into place in time have proved insurmountable. As a result, and very regrettably, the Dressage Freestyle will now be cancelled. "This was not an easy decision, but we have explored every option, including trying to reschedule the horse departures, and even looking at moving the competition into the indoor with a change of footing, but the logistics of making all this happen are just not possible", Tryon 2018 Organising Committee President Michael Stone said. "We know this is desperately disappointing for the 15 athletes who had qualified their horses for the Freestyle, and of course for all the spectators who had bought tickets, but the weather has simply left us with no choice. Horse welfare has to be the top priority and flying the horses out on the same day as competition doesn't work, so sadly the decision to cancel the Freestyle had to be taken." "Although we are devastated that this decision has had to be taken, we've had two absolutely world-class competitions here at Tryon, including yesterday's Grand Prix Special, and to see Germany's Isabell Werth and Bella Rose taking double gold and Team USA claiming silver was a real treat for Dressage fans." The decision does not affect the Olympic qualification process, as this was completed on Thursday. The teams that have earned their ticket to Tokyo 2020 are Germany, USA, Great Britain, Sweden, Netherlands and Spain. A separate notification will be sent to ticket holders. Notes to Editors: This decision has been taken in accordance with Article 109.12 of the FEI General Regulations which states: "Subject to the unanimous agreement of the President of the Ground Jury, Technical Delegate and President of the Veterinary Committee in consultation with the Organiser, a Competition (either before or during) can be postponed and/or cancelled, not only due to force majeure, catastrophic occurrences, extreme weather conditions but also for non-compliance with FEI Rules and in specific situations where the welfare or safety of the Horses, Athletes, Officials or the public is compromised. ### For more information on the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 and to view start lists and results, please visit www.Tryon2018.com. To purchase tickets or for more information about the WEG, please visit www.Tryon2018.com. Click here to watch the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 promo video! Media Inquiries For media inquiries about the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, please visit www.Tryon2018.com or contact one of the following press officers: National Press Officer - Carly Weilminster at cweilminster@tryonweg.com or +1 (828) 863-1144 International Press Officer - Gayle Telford at gayle@revolutionsports.co.uk or 0044(0) 203 176 0355 For more information from the FEI, please contact Shannon Gibbons at shannon.gibbons@fei.org or 0041-78-750-6146. Photo Credit ©Sportfot. These photos may be used once in relation to this press release with proper credit. About the Tryon International Equestrian Center Tryon International Equestrian Center at Tryon Resort, host of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, is one of the world's premier equestrian lifestyle destinations, with first-class facilities for all eight FEI disciplines. From carousel to competition, the mission of Tryon Resort is to celebrate the magic of the horse, grow equestrian sport, and increase access to this majestic animal. Tryon Resort is a spring, summer and fall haven for equestrian competitors and enthusiasts, and a year-round destination for connoisseurs of diverse cuisine and shopping, lodging getaways, and family entertainment. Learn more at www.Tryon.com. About the FEI World Equestrian Games™ The FEI World Equestrian Games™, held every four years in the middle of the summer Olympic cycle, is the property of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the world governing body for horse sport organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is one of the biggest events on the global sporting calendar, combining World Championships in the Olympic disciplines of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, the Paralympic discipline of Para-Equestrian Dressage, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining. The inaugural FEI World Equestrian Games™ were hosted in Stockholm (SWE) in 1990. Since then the Games have been staged in The Hague (NED) in 1994, Rome (ITA) in 1998, Jerez (ESP) in 2002, and Aachen (GER) in 2006. The first Games to be organized outside Europe were the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Kentucky (USA) 2010. The Games came back to Europe for the 2014 edition, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA), which attracted more than 500,000 on-site spectators and a worldwide television audience of 350 million, as well as delivering an economic impact of €368 million to the French economy. The Tryon 2018 Games offer qualifying slots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The FEI World Equestrian Games™ History Hub can be viewed here.
