The organizers of the partner horse 2021 in Leipzig have postponed the date of the tournament by two months. It would be a late World Cup qualification in Germany if there were even a World Cup final in 2021.
—
Leipzig in January? Collect world cup points? To speak of the World Cup this winter season carries a certain risk. Because even if you still dream of welcoming the best dressage and show jumpers of the winter season to the finals in Sweden in Gothenburg (as last in April 2019) in the Scandinavium, one thing above all is needed: a winter season.
And that is exactly the current problem. In Sweden, too, the number of corona infections is now increasing, the rest of Europe is getting ready for a hard winter, including the riders.
The World Cup stages, otherwise reliable weekend after weekend on the winter travel plan of the front runners, have almost all been canceled. In Germany, Frankfurt, which had already jumped in for the canceled tournament in Stuttgart, had to pull the tear line. The organization team in Neumünster is hoping for a pandemic development that will make a World Cup qualification stage for dressage in February in Schleswig-Holstein possible.
Leipzig postponed from January to the end of March
The organizers of PARTNER PFERD have now dropped the hope that a partial lockdown and the development of the number of infections would make a tournament in January in the exhibition halls in Leipzig possible. The sports agency Engarde Marketing has published the postponement of the date. From March 18th to 21st, riders will now be in the exhibition halls. The team around agency boss Volker Wulff talked to many responsible persons about concepts. Parliamentarians and members of the government were also present in the talks. Findings that were gained from holding larger events in the Corona year were incorporated into these discussions.
In the back of the minds of all those involved is a project that is to take place in Leipzig in a good 16 months: “In 2022, Leipzig will host a Multi-FEI World Cup Finals,” writes the agency. The 2021 event on the third weekend in March is intended to “give an excellent foretaste of the finals”. But the pandemic is more important than any anticipation for the year 2022. “Of course, the corona-related requirements are also taken into account and the framework conditions are adjusted”.
University of Manchester supports partner horse
There will be several changes in 2021. The stable is now planned in its own hall (5). This means that the aisles in Halls 1 and 3 can be made wider. This is an important factor in realizing the hygiene requirements that enable as many visitors as possible to enter the tournament in Leipzig. A crowd management concept developed by the University of Manchester is also intended to help protect the health of visitors.