The following statement was released by Strzegom Horse Trials on May 13.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, sadly we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel the FEI European Championships for Ponies 2020 in Strzegom, Poland (July 15-19). The decision has been taken in consultation with the FEI and with the health of all athletes and everyone involved in mind, and of course fair play rules. We tried our best to find a new date, but it proved to be extremely difficult to plan a big sports show during the school summer holidays this year.
Photo by Mariusz Chmielinski.
We realize that for many athletes, the Europeans were their last chance to compete in this age category, so instead of FEI European Championships for Ponies, we plan to organize a new event called the European Pony Masters in September or October 2020. The event will include team and individual competitions in the three Olympic disciplines: Jumping, Eventing and Dressage.
“After all the hard work they have put in, it is desperately disappointing for Marcin Konarski and his wonderful team at Strzegom to have to cancel the FEI European Championships for Ponies, and also of course for all the young athletes that were planning their season around heading to Poland this summer,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said, “but it is wonderful that Strzegom has come up with a creative solution, with the new European Pony Masters offering an alternative outing later in the year.”
More details will be available as soon as the epidemiological situation allows us to plan details for this event. We hope to see you in Strzegom.
For more information about the FEI European Championships for Ponies, click here. (Announcements are released on the Strzegom Horse Trials Facebook page).