In a landmark moment in FEI World Cup™ history, the organisers of the FEI Jumping and Dressage World Cup™ Finals, scheduled to be held in Riyadh (KSA) between 16-20 April 2024, have contributed to a groundbreaking increase in prize money for the competitors.
The pot for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final already sits at an impressive 1.3 million Euros. Now thanks to a generous donation by the Organising Committee, the prize money for the 2024 Jumping Final will be doubled, reaching an extraordinary total of 2.6 million Euros.
This significant increase in prize money - the highest amount ever seen at an FEI World Cup™ Final - is likely to be a one-time opportunity, making the 2024 World Cup Finals™ in Riyadh an exceptional and unprecedented event. It also highlights the Organisers’ dedication in welcoming the global equestrian community to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and for the first time as hosts of the FEI World Cup™ Finals.
The FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final will also benefit from a substantial boost, with an additional 100,000 Euros being injected into its prize fund. The Dressage prize money - already set at 300,000 Euros - will now be bolstered to an impressive 400,000 Euros.
The Longines FEI World Cup Trophy - photo: FEI/Richard Juillart
FEI Secretary General, Sabrina Ibáñez expressed that;
“The FEI is privileged to have the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation as a key ally in equestrian sport, and there is no doubt they are fully onboard when it comes to raising the bar for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final and the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2024 to an unprecedented competitive level."
"The generous welcome of the equestrian community to Saudi Arabia, coupled with the wonderful commitment made by the Organising Committee to the growth and success of the sport, will foster a spirit of excellence."
Sabrina Ibáñez, Secretary General, FEI
"Thanks to the steadfast support of Longines, the FEI’s Top Partner for the last 11 years, and the invaluable contribution of the Organising Committee, we can look forward to demonstrations of world-class talent in two of the FEI’s Olympic disciplines at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final and the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final, only months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Riyadh, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a whole, has been emerging as a formidable host for equestrian events for some time.
In 2023, Riyadh successfully hosted 11 FEI events, with the momentum continuing in 2024 with another 12 planned, as well as the city of AlUla set to host the FEI Endurance World Championship in 2026, as announced at the FEI Board Meeting in Mexico City (MEX) last month.
No stranger to the world stage in equestrian sport, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has already clinched two Olympic medals in Jumping – an individual bronze in Sydney in 2000 and a team bronze in London in 2012. More recently, they secured their Jumping team a place in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Olympic Qualification Event in Doha (QAT) in February 2023, and took gold in both team and individual Jumping at the Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN) this year.
2024 will be a year of world-class equestrian sport once again, with Jumping and Dressage only half the complement of the FEI World Cup Finals™ on the cards for the year. It all kicks off with the FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final hosted in Basel (SUI) from 11-14 January, and the FEI Driving World Cup™ Final in Bordeaux (FRA) from 1-4 February.
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