GL events Equestrian Sport – the organiser of the Longines Equita Lyon, Concours Hippique International – has today announced that the event, initially planned from 24 October to 1 November at Lyon-Eurexpo, has been cancelled. 

Longines Equita Lyon was supposed to host the first leg of the Longines FEI World Cup in the Western European League after Oslo and Helsinki had to call off their shows due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Lyon is now the 8th Western European League World Cup event to be cancelled. Only five qualifying events currently remain in the WEL-calendar: Verona, Mechelen, Basel, Leipzig and Bordeaux – before the final is scheduled for Gothenburg the first week in April 2021. 

A statement from GL events Equestrian Sport details the cancellation: 

"The recent announcements made by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, on 14 October 2020, and in particular, the implementation of a curfew in all of the communes of Greater Lyon from 9pm, no longer allow the organiser to offer all the international, national and regional key players of equestrian sport an event which is on a par with their expectations.

The GL events Equestrian Sport team is conscious of the significance of this decision and shares the disappointment of all the competitors, owners and the whole sector which has already been deeply impacted by this terrible crisis and its consequences. Sylvie Robert, the President of GL events Equestrian Sport, would like to acknowledge and thank the event’s loyal partners for their commitment and support: the GL events Group and Longines, and the sporting institutions, primarily the Fédération Equestre Internationale, the Fédération Française d’Equitation (French Equestrian Federation) and the Comité Régional d’Equitation Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regional Equestrian Committee). On behalf of the whole team that works with her, Sylvie Robert would like to offer her sincere thanks for all this support and to all the enthusiasts from around the world, who have remained loyal to the Longines Equita Lyon, Concours Hippique International, as soon as the initial measures were implemented.

The 2021 edition of Equita Lyon and of the Longines Equita Lyon, Concours Hippique International will be held from 27 to 31 October."