France organizes more equestrian competitions than any other country in the world. The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy will showcase France’s great expertise when it comes to hosting such major events.
Given the Norman people’s passion for horse and horse sports, it was natural for France and Normandy to want to host the World Equestrian Games. In France, more than 2 million people go horse riding, and over a million of them are regular riders. The French Equestrian Federation boasts over 700,000 license holders and 7,800 clubs:it’s the 3rd ranking French Olympic Federation, after those of football and tennis.
THE GIP (PUBLIC INTEREST GROUP) NORMANDY 2014
The GIP (public interest group) results from the transformation of the initial “Normandy 2014” association, which, in particular, brought the candidacy period and the first organisation stages to completion. It will be wound up on 31 December 2015, at the latest. The GIP (public interest group) will provide a stable cooperative framework. It is a public-private partnership body which has a legal personality and thus is legally and financially independent. The importance of the public partners’ undertaking in the project required the setting up of a structure providing all the guarantees of precise and efficient management.
Moreover, a GIP (public interest group) is the organisational structure that is the most used for the organisation of leading sports events in France (the GIP for 2003 World Athletic Championships in Paris, the GIP for the Rugby World Cup in 2007, the GIP for the 2002 & 2008 candidacies for the Olympic Games).
The 2014 Normandy WEG Public Interest Group comprises founding members (grouped together within the board of governors), which were, for almost all of them, already involved in the project during the candidacy phase (cf. list below), and associated members, divided into colleges, sports’ organisations, the economic and tourist world, the equine industry, local authorities, education and training). Well-known figures in the sports, economic and sustainable development fields, etc., will be able to join the Organising Committee as qualified persons.
The “2014 Normandy WEG” founding members:
- The French Government,
- The French Equestrian Federation
- The Regional Council of Lower Normandy
- The General Council of Calvados
- The General Council of Manche
- The General Council of Orne
- The City of Caen
- The Agglomeration Community of Caen la Mer
- The National Olympic and French Sports Committee
